Does it Hurt?
by sugardandy
Summary: LeeOC Eve is a shy girl with a terrible past. Kira is a merciless killer with a bad attitude. They are opposites, but they share the same body! One falls in love with the bushy brow ninja and the other thinks he's a fool. rating may change!
1. Prologue: Does it Hurt?

**Does it Hurt?**

**Lee Romance**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Summary:**** Eve is the sweetest person you'll ever meet, Kira will kill without hesitation. It's a shame they share the same body. They end up in Konoha and one personality falls in love and the other struggles to maintain her purpose.**

**Lee/OC**

**This story is the product of me watching endless hours of Elfin Lied, reading Othello, and going through perverted Rock Lee fanart … all while on an insane Pepsi high. Yes, I know I need a life… (SIDE NOTE: you don't need to have seen Elfin Lied or read Othello to get this.)**

**On another note there will either be references or appearances of characters from my other OC stories. I decided to make it almost like a series while still being individual stories.**

**Prologue**

**Does it Hurt?**

"AAARRRGG!" the guard screamed in horror at the sight before him. He stumbled backward gagging from the wretched smell of the blood that flooded the hallway.

Not ten minutes before, two guards had been sent to bring the experiment, codenamed Eve, to the medical center of the building. It was the simplest and least risky job in the facility, or at least that was what everyone thought…

The bodies were in pieces all over the hallway, the blood splattered the walls, and floating in midair was one of the decapitated heads. Its mouth was lolled open, eyes were rolled back and bloodshot, and its tongue hanging out – dripping saliva mixed blood on the floor. The slashed flesh and torn arteries drained more blood onto the floor, and the pieces of the spine visible on the neck were crumbling from being shattered.

Standing in front of it was a small girl with dark red/pink hair that parted around a pair of horns just above her temples. The horns were the giveaway for what she was. They were small, not much more than bumps and they had rounded off points shaped vaguely like cat's ears. She was barely clothed; the only thing she wore was her bloodstained hospital gown, which showed her unhealthy pale skin.

The guard's boot slipped on one of the massive puddles of blood and he toppled to the floor. He let out a frightened whimper as he struggled to pull his gun from his holster and he pointed it at her with a shaky arm.

In a day when shinobi skills were the heart of the military forces guns were obsolete, but an armor piercing round from a gun was one of the few things that could get through her defenses…

The girl turned away from the floating severed head and her flashing amber eyes rested angrily on the young guard.

"E-Eve, have y-y-you l-lost y-your mind!" stuttered the young man.

_Thud._

The head shot down the hallway and landed square in the young guard's lap. It splattered his face with blood as its lifeless eyes bore right up at him.

The little girl walked slowly toward him, biding her time, and as she walked trails of blood smeared themselves along the wall where no one was even touching. There were five little trails on either wall, like invisible blood covered fingers…

She knelt down in front of the quivering man and just stared at him. The fact that the tip of his gun was tapping her forehead didn't seem to even faze her.

'_Her eyes … this isn't Eve…'_ thought the guard. He was normally the one in charge of Eve and he always thought she was the creepiest thing. She would always just sit there are stare at him with wide, unblinking, eyes and stare at him without saying a word. He 'put her in her place' on more than one occasion, which was a fact he was suddenly regretting…

The guard fingered the trigger, but it was swatted out of his hand before he could pull it. He was suddenly defenseless, sitting with a decapitated head in his lap, while a child played mind games with him.

"E-Eve, d-don't you d-d-dare stare at m-me like t-t-that!" the guard hollered out of reflex.

He immediately proceeded to bite his tongue, literally. It was that girl … she always made him angry, fearful almost. They way she would just stare at him day after day with those eyes as though she was accusing him of all the suffering she'd been through. He said that very same line at least once every time he saw her. After all, she was a freak of nature, she wasn't even human…

_SNAP._

The guard's eyes widened in shock as his arm was cut right off. It was a clean cut, like someone took one swing with an axe, but little the girl hadn't so much as flinched.

"Does it hurt?" she whispered with a cruel crooked smirk.

The young guard gaped at her, "…Eve…"

"Don't you dare look at me like that!" mocked the girl, "My name isn't Eve, its Kira."

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**Not all parts of this story will be this bloody, but this does have elements of Elfin Lied in it and that was a very bloody series. Anyway, I'll try and update at least biweekly if I can now that I have time to sit around and type again.**

**Review in the name of youth!! (Thumbs up)**

**Starchip13**


	2. A Place to Sleep

**Chapter #1**

**A Place to Sleep**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Since I only had the prologue up I thought I might at well at least give you guys an official first chapter, so here you go! Chapters may not be as long as my last story so I am able to update more regularly.**

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

"_Dormant personality speech"_ (Kira or Eve)

_**Dreams**_

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"They've been dead for at least twelve hours, maybe more, with all the rain we've had lately it's really hard to tell," the young pinkette medic-nin cringed as she examined the bodies.

The rain wasn't the only reason it was so hard to find out anything about the bodies. The main reason was because each body was in several different pieces and they were scattered across the dirt road like confetti. The excessive amount of rain washed almost everything away, making several liters of blood soak into the earth, no doubt that the soil in the area would smell like copper for months.

When a traveling merchant reported bodies outside Konoha, Tsunade wasted no time putting together a team to check it out. The leader was Haruno Sakura since she was technically the specialist, and the two Jounin accompanying her were Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee, the first two qualified Jounin Tsunade noticed in the hallways.

"I found the missing torso!" hollered Naruto from somewhere in the bush nearby.

"Great, but we're still one set of legs, three hands, and someone's head," sighed Sakura, "any luck Lee?"

"Not much, there is … a lot of damage around here…" it was unusual for Lee's tone to be so grave, but the scene matched his tone perfectly.

This was one assignment Lee was going to be glad to finish, even though they had the easiest jobs. They were only supposed to track down all the body parts until one of the medical teams was able to make it out.

"They look like they could be that group of bandits that have been giving us so much trouble," stated Sakura as she dug through the contents of the victim's pockets. In them was a variety of souvenirs that belonged to women. "Look at all of this. Hair ribbons, gold rings, necklaces … I'll bet you anything all these things belonged to the girls missing from the village. This is the group that preys on women that wonder outside town."

"Even so, who would butcher four men like it was nothing?" mumbled Lee.

"I'm wondering what on earth they used as a weapon. I've never seen a weapon that could cut so cleanly, and the guy that is missing his head had it twisted right off," Sakura pointed out. "For a blade to do this they'd have to have impressive strength, and I'm not even going to mention the head thing…"

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After the medic team arrived to collect the bodies Sakura volunteered to fill out the mission report so Lee and Naruto could head home early. They were all tired from searching the forest for body parts, and more than a little anxious to put it at the backs of their minds.

Instead of going home Lee went to the training grounds to try and clear his mind. He always found he was much calmer after a good rigorous training session.

"If I cannot do eight hundred push ups, it is one thousand kicks!"

Naturally Lee always forced himself to the limits with his training, and it carried him well into the evening as the sun began to set. Not that the time mattered much to Lee, he would train night or day, rain or shine. As a ninja he had to be prepared for anything, so he would always work on building his endurance to the next level. He had too, being at such a disadvantage to the other Jounin he needed something to completely commit himself too, a goal. He held onto the same dream he had as a young boy in his academy days, back when no one ever expected he would ever become a ninja.

'_I have come very far, but there is always more to learn,'_ thought Lee as he moved through his regular training routine, _'people are always changing and becoming stronger.'_

Eventually Lee lost track of time. Evening passed into night without Lee even noticing.

He was so busy trying to take his mind off of his previous mission that he stayed out training for hours without even realizing it.

With the late hours the bowl cut Jounin finally started to feel the strain he was putting on his body. Sweat clung to his oversized eyebrows and glued his bangs to his forehead. His muscles were sore and simply didn't have the strength to keep up with the abuse of harsh training.

Lee yawned and let himself fall onto the grass, "A short rest, and then I will continue my training…"

The grass was still mildly damp from the resent rainfall of spring, and it made the air smell fresher. The rain had taken the humidity out of the air and left a crisp cool breeze to float through the trees surrounding the training grounds.

Of course, Lee loved spring. All the rain made the village green again after a long winter, and what a winter it had been. He'd traveled to Sunagakure to assist the Kazekage – Gaara – with an urgent mission, during which Lee's arm had been injured. What should have just been a shallow cut that probably wouldn't have even required stitches put his right arm out of commission for two weeks, plus the physical therapy Sakura put him through so he's regain full use of the arm.

Lee's hand absently grazed over the scar on his shoulder hidden beneath his spandex outfit. It still tingled sometimes. He wondered if it would ever really stop.

Yawning, Lee's thoughts started becoming fuzzy, and he slowly fell asleep…

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_Giirrrr…_

'_I wish I hadn't broken my fishing pole…'_ thought Eve glumly as she sat curled up on a high tree branch overlooking the training grounds.

Originally, Eve had not planned on spending the night in a tree, or any length of time for that matter. She had planned on making a small camp for herself next to the training grounds where she wouldn't be disturbed until morning at least, or so she thought. She never anticipated that someone would come to the training ground so late and stay for so _long_.

By the time the bowl cut shinobi started his 'break' Eve's butt had gone numb, and by the time he finally fell asleep Eve was also falling asleep and very nearly feel out of her tree.

When she was positive he was asleep – when he started snoring – Eve jumped down from her hiding spot and let out a long sigh.

Being around people was never good for Eve. If she let herself get too close to someone or got caught with her guard down then bad things would start happening, and she'd already caused enough trouble as is…

That was why the pinkette chose to sleep at the training grounds. It was a good distance from the nearest residence, it was quiet, it was usually deserted at night, and it was very peaceful. The training grounds were a place safe from prying eyes where Eve could fall asleep under the stars.

Eve adjusted the ribbon in her hair that kept a pair of unusual horns hidden and her long pink bangs out of her amber eyes.

She wondered over to the sleeping shinobi in the strange green jumpsuit. She'd never seen anyone quite as strange as him … everything from his outfit, to his haircut, to his insane eyebrows was completely bizarre, but somehow in an interesting way.

'_He must be determined to do something if he would stay out here this long just to train, it has to be past midnight by now,'_ thought Eve as she knelt beside the bowl cut shinobi to get a better look at him in the inadequate lighting. _'But it's kind of cold out here. He's going to get sick if he sleeps on the ground like that with nothing to keep him warm…'_

With another sigh Eve picked up a small pebble and climbed back into her tree.

"Gomenasai," she murmured as she took aim and flung the rock at the sleeping teen.

The small rock bounced off his chest, making him snort and sit up quickly. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and mumbled something along the lines of 'Sakura' incoherently as he got to his feet.

He left.

The unusual man in the jump suit and leg warmers was finally gone.

Eve didn't expect she'd see him again, and she didn't think much of it as she pulled a blanket from her backpack and curled up to sleep…

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**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are loved!**

**Starchip13**


	3. When Angels Cry

**Chapter #2**

**When Angels Cry**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"_**Are you looking at the rain, Eve?"**_

"_**R-ai-n…?"**_

"_**Oh yes, this is the first time you've seen rain isn't it?"**_

"_**Hai… Why does it rain?"**_

"_**Well … it rains because of the angels, it rains when they cry."**_

"_**Are the angels sad?"**_

"_**No, today they are tears of joy. The angels get to see your face for the first time and it makes them very happy because they see you are happy."**_

"…"

"_**Are you not happy, Eve?"**_

"…_**H-hai, I am very happy, Otou-san…"**_

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A cold drop of water fell from the canopy of leaves and landed on Eve's pale cheek. She was a very light sleeper to begin with so she was roused instantly.

She sat upright, staring blankly off into space, for a long time before wiping the sleep away from her eyes and blinking at her surroundings.

Eve was used to waking up cold and alone in the woods. She'd been doing for so long recently that she expected it and accepted it. Eve would, in all likelihood, wake up cold and alone for the rest of her life. She would continue running because that was the only thing she knew how to do, and she would die holding onto the only few good memories she had.

But there was once a day when she didn't even have any memories… So she was thankful those days when she was happier than she'd ever been that gave her good memories.

It was very early, possibly around five or so, but it was hard to tell because of the rain. It wasn't even raining that hard anymore, or at least not as hard as it had been for the past few weeks, and it was finally starting to get warmer.

Eve's outfit wasn't very compatible with the cold. The cotton it was made out of was warm enough, but years of wear and tare brought it close to the end of its life. Not that she would ever want to get rid of it, it was something that was given to her a long time ago, and it was very important to her. It was a tan cream colour with light blue trim around the collar and the cuffs of the sleeves. The body was long – the bottom fell half way to her knees – and the sleeves just barely covered the tips of her fingers.

"51 … 52 … 53 … 54…"

'…' Eve blinked and peaked over the bush that separated her hiding spot from the training grounds, _'No way … that boy is back already?'_

A familiar green clad shinobi was already in the training grounds working up a sweat on his – apparently 'normal' – training routine. Eve was surprised he hadn't passed out from exhaustion the night before, so she was shocked he willing got up and submitted himself to the same torcher _again_.

'_Do all shinobi put themselves through this? If they do then they really do deserve a lot of respect. Not just anyone could have the stamina for that…'_

The bowl cut ninja continued with his training, too distracted to notice the girl watching him. There was nothing but concentration and determination in his eyes.

Eve went against her better judgment and leaned in closer for a better look, _'I wonder who he is anyway…'_

SNAP.

Eve's foot hit a dry twig as she stepped forward and she froze like a statue. She was in plain sight, and there was no way that noise wouldn't get the attention of a shinobi, even if he was in the middle of training.

She couldn't be seen. She wasn't wearing her ribbon yet, which meant her horns were in plain sight. She couldn't risk any sightings, especially if it was a shinobi of Konoha who could probably catch her without even trying. Besides the normal reasons for not wanting to get seen she had personal reasons, like not getting close to anyone because if they saw her they'd see a freak, and Eve didn't think she could handle it. And if she couldn't handle it herself … bad things would happen.

The young pinkette spun on her heal and fled, stumbling as she picked up her backpack. She ran until she broke free of the trees and tripped over a tree root on the road, and even then she kept running.

When she was no longer protected by the canopy of the trees she discovered that it started raining again…

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Lee looked up when he heard that twig snap, but all he saw was a flash of flowing pink hair out of the corner of his eye and then nothing. Whatever or whoever it was, was gone before he had a chance to take a second look.

'_Was I so distracted that I didn't notice someone was watching me,'_ thought Lee as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. He blinked a few times, _'Pink hair…? Was it Sakura-chan that was watching me? Did Sakura-chan come to watch me train? But … if it was her, why did she run?'_

It wasn't as though pink was a common hair colour. Who was it then?

Either way, his morning warm-ups were over, it was time for Lee to head up to the Hokage tower for his assignments. Figuring out who was watching him would have to wait until later.

Lee took off toward the village at a fast speed so he wouldn't be completely soaked by the rain. For some reason it had gone from relatively clear skies to heavy rain with so little warning, but that was spring for you. The weather never stayed the same for too long.

There were few people at the tower since it was still very early in the morning. The receptionist hadn't arrived yet, she wouldn't be in until eight or so, but there were a few Chunin running around doing errands before they would have to head out to the academy. Other than that the hallways were deserted. No one coming in to request missions, no ANBU squads – they actually got their assignments earlier than Lee – around the Hokage's office, and no Genin squads coming in with the Jounin sensei to get their low ranking missions of the day.

Lee reached for the door handle to the office when it turned on its own. The doors swung open and none other than Sakura stepped out, carrying files for the hospital and a large mug off hot coffee.

"Lee-kun – yawn – you're here early – yawn – even for you." Mumbled Sakura drowsily.

"I could not sleep, Sakura-chan, it is spring after all! It is the season of youth!" chirped Lee energetically, "I was out doing my early morning training and – oh – that reminds me. Were you out at the training grounds earlier, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura yawned once again, "No, I was here, I've been here all night. Tsunade-sama and I were going through paperwork for the hospital last night, and it took so long I haven't left the building since we got back from that mission. Why?"

'_That is odd, if it was not Sakura-chan, then who was at the training grounds?'_

"Anyway, Tsunade-sama is asleep at her desk … I wouldn't recommend waking her up right now. So I took the liberty of getting the mission she had planned for you today," Sakura glumly pulled out a small scroll from her pocket, "it's about our little outing to the outer roads yesterday. Tsunade-sama wants the patrols around the village doubled. She wants as many Jounin as possible making regular rounds around the gates."

"I will do my best," assured Lee, "and I might even be able to get some training done while I am patrolling the village. One should never miss an opportunity to hone one's skills, yosh!"

Sakura responded with a small wave and a yawn as Lee ran off to do his duties, _'Only Lee would be excited about going on patrol in such miserable weather… Damn, I need some sleep…_

The rain was coming down in thick sheets by the time Lee exited the Hokage tower, but he took little notice. He simply went strait to the route, which was more or less just a giant circle around the entire village, through constant heavy rain and muddy trails. They were all deserted since nobody would willingly run out into roads in such lousy weather, so Lee challenged himself to whatever training he could get done, which included walking on his hands.'

Once in a while Lee's mind would wonder a bit during his 'training', especially since his body had long since adjusted to the constant strain. He thought about Sakura, and when he imagined her beautiful pink hair he also remembered what he thought he saw at the training grounds.

'_I wonder who that was … maybe I'm just imagining things…'_

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**Well, this is my update for the week, hope you liked it. I know in the beginning it sounded more like Elfin Lied than Naruto but it kinda switches tracks right here. There will be lots of Naruto characters and possibly some ninja battles in the future. **

**Thanks for the reviews**

**Starchip13**


	4. An Act of Kindness

**Chapter #3**

**An Act of Kindness**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Hey, here is my update everyone! Hope you all enjoy.**

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Eve was starting to really regret running out into the rain to get away from the green clad ninja. First it started raining harder than it had been to begin with so she got soaked, and then she discovered that not only her clothes were cold and wet so was everything inside her backpack – including the very last of her bread.

As the rain was at its worst Eve climbed into the tree with the most, thick, branches she could find and started nibbling on her last few bites of soggy bread begrudgingly. It tasted appalling and smelled like the wet fabric of her wet blanket. But it was the only food she had left, and it was very likely she wouldn't get anything else for a while since her fishing rod was broken, so she forced herself to swallow every bite. At least that way her stomach's grumbling would quite down for a little while.

'_I'll be in some serious trouble if I don't find some more food soon…'_ Eve thought as she rubbed her – still unsatisfied – stomach. Her body would demand food again within the hour, and if that happened she'd have to go into town and scavenge for something to eat.

She wanted to avoid the village at all costs.

As fate out have it, the tree Eve had chosen to sit in was just off one of the paths that circled around the village, and as the sun finally started to set she saw a figure walking down the path. It was hard for her to see in the heavy rain, but there was still something about the way he or she was moving that seemed strange. It wasn't until he got closer did Eve see a familiar green jumpsuit worn by the bowl cut shinobi, whom – to her surprise – was walking on his hands.

There was thick mud all up his arms and his breathing was heavy enough to be heard over the roar of the rain. Eventually he fell over, a few yards away from Eve's tree.

"When I get up, it is one hundred more laps around the village…" he panted as he pulled himself to the shelter of the trees. He didn't get up for a long time, and eventually his loud snoring could be heard from Eve's spot in the trees.

'_He must do this often,'_ Eve concluded, _'This is the second time in two days I've watched him fall asleep – pass out – during his training … and both times I've been in a tree.'_

Eve already knew the guy was a deep sleeper, so she jumped down from her tree and walked over to him yet again.

He was soaking wet from walking – on his hands – in the rain, and the spandex and vest he was wearing didn't look like they would keep him very warm or dry. The drenched fabric clung to his body like a second skin, showing off the muscles underneath…

'_Ok … stopping right now.'_

Eve wished she turned away and just left the village altogether. She could make it to a small town before it got too dark, but she just had to notice the blood seeping through the bandages on his hands and arms, and she just had to grab her own bandages from her backpack. She wished that she'd just drop the bandages and leave, but she didn't.

Eve knelt beside the young man on the damp grass and carefully pulled his arm onto her lap so she could begin undoing the dirty bandages. Underneath the wet bandages his hands were raw from all the strain, but it wasn't just the recent cuts and scraps that covered his hand, there were lots off old scars and healed sores that clashed against his skin. His hands were very rough from the beating they had taken over years of punishment from his 'training'. By looking at the number of deep scars – the more serious healed wounds – on his hands Eve was surprised that the guy still went on with his training like he did.

The bowl cut ninja fidgeted in his sleep, "Mph … Sakura-chan…"

'_He talks in his sleep?'_ Eve couldn't help but feel a little amused. _'I wonder who Sakura is…'_

His hand clamped around her wrist, making Eve jump out of her skin, "…I promise … Sakura-chan … I will protect you with my life…"

Eve tried to pry his hand off but his grip was like a vice, even in his sleep. It took most of her strength to get him to loosen his grip, and even more to worm her hand out of his.

"S-Sakura-chan…?" mumbled the bushy browed boy as he absently rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

'_Oh no…'_ Eve panicked, falling backwards and landing in some mud. All of a sudden she was cold, wet, hungry, muddy_ and_ cornered. All in all, it was a very bad day.

Her thin wrist was held firmly in his large rough hands, preventing her from running away again.

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Lee blinked a few times to bring the world back into focus. He couldn't believe he fell asleep again, he hoped it wouldn't become a bad habit, especially if someone happened to see him sleep. After so much training he had 'muscle memory' so he often moved and talked in his sleep, so it would be quite a sight for any passerby.

This time after waking up he was positive that he saw someone with pink hair and he took the first chance he could to grab her wrist before she could get away again.

"S-Sakura-chan…?" he mumbled.

But it definitely wasn't her. The only similarity was the pink hair and the ribbon in her hair – which was the wrong shade anyway. This girl was a little shorter and much thinner, and her dark pink-red hair was nearly mid-back length and hung in her face a lot. Her eyes were also a different colour, they were amber, and a bit wider. Her wrist was tiny in Lee's large hands; she had almost no muscle or fat on her. The girl's thin limbs shivered from a mixture of cold and the slight fear behind her amber eyes.

"Gomen," mumbled Lee, "I thought you were someone else."

She blinked at him, her shoulders were tense and her fists were clenched, but she didn't say a word.

"You were the girl at the training grounds yesterday," Lee was thinking out loud.

Her eyes darted away from him. He guessed that was some kind of 'yes'.

Lee looked down at her hand again and finally notice his own and the fact that the bandages were missing. Even Lee had to admit his hands weren't 'hansom', he was more aware than anyone that his hands were crosshatched with scars and other injuries. The bandages helped protect his hands, but despite that they were still raw and bleeding from training, and when they healed his palms would be like sandpaper – a normal thing Lee dealt with.

The girl gave a gentle but noticeable tug to try and get her wrist back.

"Gomenasai," Lee had honestly forgotten that he still had a hold on the girl. He let go quickly with his apology and scratched his head sheepishly when he saw the clean roll of bandages in her hand, "…Were you trying to help me?"

The shy young girl tried to get up and run away yet again but she slipped in the mud and she landing on her butt with a loud splash. In her determination to get away she nearly fell a second time and she dropped the bandages she'd intended to put on Lee's hands.

She disappeared into the trees before Lee was even on his feet. There wasn't much point in following her. If she wanted to hide, chances were she would stay hidden.

'_I wonder who she is, I've never seen her anywhere around the village before, and I would remember someone like her,'_ thought Lee. He could still see her incredibly sad eyes in his mind, just gazing back at him.

Lee spotted a backpack – he assumed it belonged to the girl – sitting nearby. It too was soaked and mud covered, just like her clothes had been. Inside was a pitifully worn out jacket, a blanket, a hairbrush, a map and an empty coin purse. In the smaller front pocket there was what looked to be the last few bites of a soggy loaf of bread.

'_Could she be homeless…?'_

When he thought about it, her entire appearance suggested it. Her clothes were worn almost threadbare and the entire attire in question was certainly not made for cold weather. On top of all that she was soaked from head to toe, covered in mud and obviously malnourished – soggy bread obviously wasn't enough to live off of. She probably wondered into the surrounding area recently.

'_And now she doesn't even have her backpack,'_ Lee bit his lip, _'I'll have to find her and return this.'_

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"I can't believe I let him see me," Eve huffed between short raspy breaths.

Eve tried to keep running, she wanted to keep going, because if there was one rule Eve always kept it was not to let anyone see her. Bad things would happen if she let people see her, especially if anyone saw the horns hidden beneath her ribbon. It would not only put herself in jeopardy but, in all likeliness, any possible innocent bystanders.

All because a curtain _someone_ didn't like leaving loose ends. _She_ wouldn't tolerate witnesses and _she_ had no problem cutting down anyone and everyone in _her_ path.

The ground was slick from the rain, and coupled with the fact that Eve's movements were lethargic and careless from lack of food, she was bound to trip and fall in the rough terrain. Eve wasn't exactly the most coordinated person in history; she was actually somewhat of a klutz.

Her foot landed on a rock which slid due to the mud and Eve was sent tumbling to the forest floor – her head slamming rather hard against a thick tree root.

She just lay motionless on the ground for a long time as the heavy rain pelted her skin.

Eventually she stirred but as her slender hands wiped her wet pink bangs from her face a different pair of eyes looked out at the world. They were narrower, harsher and much darker. There was no sympathy or mercy in those eyes.

"So much like a child," her voice was no longer soft when she spoke, "thinking you can just end conflict by hiding yourself away, Eve? Just look at how much weight we've lost, stupid brat. Now, when was the last time we've actually eaten a decent meal, really?"

Getting to her feet, the pinkette stared off into the distance, as though waiting for a response.

Eventually a smirk graced her thin lips and she almost laughed out loud, "She knocked herself out didn't she?"

Her fingers ran gingerly over the lump on her temple, making rain mixed blood run down her hand. She knew she would definitely be feeling that one in the morning.

"Poor baby," the pinkette murmured mockingly, "Don't worry, Kira will make it all better. Why don't I start with a change of clothes and a new backpack, hm? What luck, we're even right outside Konohagakure, and all the shops will be closing up right about now…"

Kira set off towards Konoha, appearing to glide between trees with ease as she ran. Moving unnoticed in the dark was one of her specialties.

Well, a specialty right under killing that is.

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**Kira is on the prowl! Hehe, I hope to see a lot more reviews when I update again!**

**Starchip13**


	5. Bizarre

**Chapter #4**

**Bizarre **

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**I finished a chapter early so I thought, what the heck, why not? You can't say that I'm not nice!**

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"A bunch of break-ins?"

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair in irritation, "Yes, a couple shops downtown were broken in to, and looted. Granny Tsunade had Sasuke and me investigating them. Three stores – a department store, a clothing store, and a grocery store – and all of them were done the same way. The locks weren't forced, they were unlocked from the inside, and the alarms were disconnected the same way. And the places weren't just trashed either, the thieves went in, grabbed what they wanted, and left. There was something really weird about it I just couldn't shake, but it's just a feeling I guess."

"Well, at least no one was hurt, right?" asked Sakura, "They can always replace the stolen merchandise."

"No one was hurt," Sasuke responded through sips of his coffee, "no one was around. All the stores were hit after hours and there was no one on the streets, so in a sense we were all very lucky."

The grown team seven took synchronized sips of their coffee. Ever since the old days the Ichiraku Ramen Shop had been their little meeting place. If any of them ever needed anyone to talk to there was almost always someone from 'the good old days' at Ichiraku. Though, needless to say, Naruto was there every chance he got.

It was late in the evening and the three of them already had their assignments completed and were just looking to relax a bit with friends before heading home for the night.

"Konichiwa, Sakura-chan, is it not a fine spring day?" chirped Lee as he took a seat next to the pinkette in the small shop.

"It has been raining almost nonstop, Lee-kun," pointed out Sakura, "You're soaked from head to toe … I better not see you coming to the hospital later with a cold."

"Do not worry, Sakura-chan, youth with keep me strong and healthy, yosh!"

Naruto finished yet another bowl of ramen before speaking again, "Oi, bushy brow, what is with the ratty old backpack?"

Lee glanced at the backpack he set on the ground beside his feet, "A girl dropped it yesterday, and since Tsunade-sama gave me the day off I thought I should return it to her. I was just on my way to talk to Neji-kun. My search will progress much quicker if he aids my search because this girl … avoids people."

"So then," Naruto paused to take another bite of ramen that he stole from Sasuke's bowl, "You have no idea who she is, no idea how to find her and – by the sounds of it – she doesn't even want to be found? Good luck, bushy brow."

0000

Instead of waking up wrapped in a worn out old blanket under a tree that would keep away the rain Eve felt oddly warm.

Her eyes fluttered open and at first she wasn't exactly sure what she was seeing. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming or whether she was actually seeing the piles of stuff that didn't belong to her inside a large two-room tent. Food, maps, clean blankets, fresh clothes, basically anything Eve would ever need for the next year or so.

"Oh no…"

'_Ah … Kira what did you _do_…? Don't tell me all this stuff was stolen,'_ Eve growled in exasperation, _'What if someone got hurt? If anyone saw her she will have killed them! Damn it, why am I such a klutz?'_

0000

"So then you scared her off?" asked Neji skeptically, "I wouldn't get your hopes up Lee, you'd be surprised how much distance someone can put behind them when they're determined – even if she isn't a Kunoichi. Besides, I am not in the mood to spend all night searching in the rain."

"Please, Neji-kun, just help a little while longer. I have searched high and low since early this morning and I have not found any trace of her," pleaded Lee.

The pale eyed ninja grumbled in annoyance but allowed his Bayakugan to continue scanning the trails nearby for signs of the mysterious rose haired girl Lee was so set on tracking down. They hadn't even been out for very long and they were both already drenched from the rainfall. It was putting Neji in a foul mood, which meant he was loosing patience with his old teammate.

"Why are you so set on trying to find this girl anyway? I know there is something other than just returning the girl her backpack," questioned Neji.

Lee paused for a moment in thought, "There was just something about her I guess. It looked like she had not eaten an actual meal in days, and she just looked so sad and lonely…"

No matter how much it got one Neji's nerves, there was nothing he could do to change that chivalry was part of Lee and Gai's youthfulness. Neji just didn't foresee that one day Lee's chivalry would involve Neji helping find some mysterious girl in the rain.

Any idiot could tell Lee was anxious about find the girl. Something told Neji there was probably more than simple worry for the girl, but even he couldn't be completely sure.

It seemed like forever – nightfall had long since fallen – until Neji finally stopped and stood silent. Lee stopped as well; not even breathing for fear that it would be a distraction. He could see the strain that Neji was putting on his Bayakugan so he could see just a little further – whatever he was seeing must have been pretty far off.

"That way," Neji pointed rigidly off into what appeared to merely be a tiny weed choked footpath into the thickest part of the forest around Konoha. "I see someone, a girl, she fits your description."

"Really? Yosh, what luck, we were very fortunate to have found her!" Lee cheered, but Neji stopped him from running into the trees.

"There is something strange," muttered Neji under his breath, "…a chakra signature like I've never seen before. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it doesn't seem natural to me."

Lee was a little surprised, "Does it look dangerous to you?"

Neji's brows drew slightly closer together, "I don't know – like I said – I've never seen anything like it. We should be _careful_."

The bowl cut ninja nodded and – as silently as possible – they took off down the little path in the direction Neji spotted the girl.

'_She is way out in the middle of nowhere – why outside Konoha – all alone.'_ Lee's distracted mind wondered as he bounded through the trees. _'She doesn't have a coat, a blanket, any food… I have a bad feeling…'_

Because of the denseness of the trees it took much longer to be able to get a visual on the thin silhouette sitting beneath the tree for shelter. It was the best shelter available for someone who didn't have anything to her name. The trees blocked the wind and shielded her from most of the rain. The ground below was relatively dry – at least compared to the road – but it was still very cold, far too cold for someone to be sleeping outside without so much as a coat.

She was leaning against the base of the tree trunk with her knees pulled into her chest to try and conserve a little bit of body heat, but even so she was still shivering visibly. Her clothes were damp and clung to her body arms like a send skin, and her hair was rain darkened and plastered to her pale face so her eyes were shielded. She appeared to be sleeping, or at least trying to.

"Careful, Lee," Neji reminded.

Lee landed soundlessly on the rain softened earth next to the rose haired young woman. She didn't stir or appear to notice his presence so Lee leaned in closer.

She wasn't asleep, but her expression was blank. Her forehead rested on her knees, almost completely shielding her face from view. Her round amber eyes were glazed over, not focusing on anything in particular, and her jaw was slack so that her blue tinted lips were parted slightly.

If it weren't for her shivering Lee would have thought she was dead.

"Excuse me…" she didn't respond to the sound of Lee's voice.

When Lee placed his hand on her shoulder he could feel how icy her skin was, even through the bandages on his hands. He'd barely even touched her when her body jerked violently and her eyes blinked rapidly to bring her world back into focus.

The pinkette's eyes were wide as dinner plates and panicked like a frightened deer's. She attempted to stand and run but her feet slipped and she fell down with a loud thud.

This time Lee made sure to grab her wrist again before she ran away. Not that it mattered. This time she did not even have the strength to stand.

"Hold still, save your energy," Lee ordered firmly, "you appear to be hypothermic…"

Neji knelt down so he was eye level – his Bayakugan probing her for the source of the unusual chakra he sensed earlier, "What is your name?"

Her only response to his demanding tone was attempting to shrink away just a few more inches – even if she did end up sinking more into the mud.

"You are frightening her, Neji-kun," there was almost a teasing tone in Lee's voice.

Neji scowled warningly at his friend before turning his attention back to the girl, _'That chakra is still there, but it suddenly got weaker when she woke up. It was almost as though I was sensing a completely different person, but I don't see how that could be possible…'_

"You need to go to a hospital, miss," explained Lee, "you are very ill."

"Please…" she whimpered.

That was the first time Lee heard her talk and she was pleading for him to let her go.

Her eyes glazed over again for a second until she completely passed out from exhaustion. Lee caught her before she fell over and lifted her up bridal style.

"Her body just gave out," Neji said quietly, "Look at all those scrapes and bruises, she wore herself out recently. What on earth was she doing?"

"I do not know, but I must take her to the hospital. We cannot just leave her."

Neji would have agreed to almost anything at that point if it meant getting somewhere warm and dry, _'Sometimes, Lee can be _too_ nice.'_

0000

"…"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, "You have _got_ to be kidding…"

"This better not be someone's idea of a joke!" exclaimed Naruto – pointing at the overwhelming pile of stolen merchandise sitting neatly in front of the Hokage tower. They didn't have to go through it to know everything stolen from the looted shops was sitting in the pile, and right on top was a small note with only one word.

_Gomenasai._

The hyperactive blonde just stared dumbly at the note for a long time, "If this is a prank it is not funny, and I know something about bad pranks!"

"Just shut up and help me move this stuff, dobe."

"Damn! We just finish going over the crime scenes and all the stolen loot shows up a couple hours later? It is just so bizarre … it's almost cruel!"

"You can say that again."

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**Lee is just a good guy all around isn't he? And no, I couldn't help it, I just had to tease poor Naruto and Sasuke just a little – it made me giggle. **

**I am working on a title page for this story too (I might make one for all of them if I have the time). Give me a few weeks, I'm having a hard time sketching something I like.**

**Starchip13**


	6. Doctor Patient Confidentiality

**Chapter #5**

**Doctor-Patient Confidentiality**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co (or the Elfin Lied bits I'm stealing)**

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"_**Look at those horns…"**_

"…_**I know, they're so disgusting…"**_

"…_**they creep me out…"**_

_**Eve's seven-year-old hands traveled to the horns on her head, covering them up so no one could see them. No one ever meant to let her hear all the whispering and hype about the fact that she had horns growing out of her head, but with all that was going on how could she not hear? It was all anyone ever whispered about when she walked by.**_

"…_**freak…"**_

"…_**mutant…"**_

"…**monster**_**…"**_

_**None of the children would play with her, not that any of the adults let her anywhere near the others to begin with. The ramblings and prejudice beliefs of the parents were passed on to the children.**_

_**It was because of her horns that she received such ridicule and disgusted glances. She spent almost her entire life locked up and torchered … all because she displayed the 'horn symptoms' at birth.**_

'_**Why was I born like this?' Tears began streaming down Eve's face. 'Why do they all hate me so much? What would it take for someone to see **_**me**_**?'**_

0000

"I told you, Lee-kun, no boys in the room."

"Are you telling me she hasn't woken up _yet_?"

"She was starved, hypothermic, and anemic when you brought her in," explained Sakura, "Even if she'd woken up already visitation would be restricted to family only, and – as far as we know – she has none." 

Lee rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Gomen, I was just curious. I know she was in bad shape when I left her in your care – not that I question your abilities at all, Sakura-chan."

Sakura blinked, _'He has no clue who she is and he is this worried about her? That is so … Lee-like…'_

"Go tend to your missions, Lee-kun," she stated flatly as she entered the hospital, "I'll tell you if there is any change in her condition."

"Hai, thank you, Sakura-chan!" Lee flashed a thumbs up and a grin as he took off, "I must go train with Neji, I will see you later!"

'_He has no clue, does he?'_ Sakura walked through the familiar off-white halls of the hospital to the second floor where the recovery wing was located. It was already mid-morning, so a lot of the recovery patients were up and about with their walkers or IV stands.

The mystery pinkette's room was an isolated one person room at the very end of the hall. Sakura already told the staff that only she was allowed in the room and only she would make the routine check-ups and so on. No one but her was allowed in the room due to 'patient confidentiality' purposes. No one suspected anything out of the ordinary when it was the Hokage's apprentice giving the orders.

When she entered the room she didn't expect the girl's eyes to be open. She stared at Sakura like a frightened rabbit – eyes wide as saucers and constantly giving a fleeting glance to her exit possibilities.

Since she was admitted to the hospital her wet clothes were removed and replaced with a light blue hospital gown. Among her – few – personal affects was a long dark blue ribbon which hid the likely reason for her skittish nature.

A pair of horns, one on either side of her head above each ear. It was a birth defect Sakura had never seen before and at first she didn't know what to make of it. In fact she almost didn't even believe they were growing out of her head at first, but it did explain why she was so eager to avoid people. It also explained her look of horror when she finally woke up in the hospital room and saw her hair ribbon sitting on the chair next to her bed.

"Please, no trying to run again, you will only get yourself hurt if you struggle," Sakura's voice was soft and even but it still held its normal authoritative edge, "My name is Haruno Sakura, I'm the doctor that treated you. You were hypothermic and it doesn't look like you haven't had any _actual_ food in days. You're severely underweight and anemic right now so you may feel lightheaded or nauseous for a little while. We've had you on rounds of IV but as soon as you feel up to it we'll bring you some light food. You're body has been malnourished for so long you might have a hard time keeping food down."

At the sight of the young girl's eyes Sakura's expression softened. She looked _scared_. Her fists were gripping the sheets so hard her knuckles were turning white and her large amber eyes were looking anywhere but Sakura. She almost appeared ashamed.

"Miss, what is your name?" Sakura asked softly.

She didn't answer and she still refused to look Sakura in the eye.

Sakura sighed, "I'm the only one that saw. There were no other nurses or witnesses in this room when I removed the ribbon – I was the only medic on call so late at night. A friend of mine brought you in but he left shortly after. So please try and relax. There is no need to be afraid."

There was another long silence between them.

"Now, could I please know your name? That is all I'm asking, and I promise that your condition will be strictly confidential."

"Eve." The response was so quiet Sakura only barely caught it. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing.

"Eve, do you have any family or friends I could contact?" probed Sakura. "Maybe even a home address where I could get you some fresh clothes?"

Eve shook her head – her focus was turned back to the door.

'_Why doesn't that surprise me?'_ the medic-nin sighed once again. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with personal information until Eve was ready to talk on her own, and to get Eve to talk Sakura would have to make her feel as safe as possible.

Sakura chuckled, "You know, for being a mystery girl, you were sure quick to have someone eager to see you. The guy that brought you in – the one in the green jumpsuit – is actually very worried about you. He mentioned how you tried to help bandage him back up and he feels bad that he never got to thank you for it."

_That_ got her attention. It was only for a moment but Sakura was positive she saw Eve's eyes flicker to meet hers before looking away again.

"I'll bring you some food and some juice to help get your blood sugar back up. Try and refrain from sitting up or standing quickly so you don't fall. The last thing you need are more injuries." Sakura stated as she turned to leave.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Spinning on her heal, Sakura saw Eve staring up at the ceiling instead of at the door or window, "Pardon?"

"People tend to … _detest _me, but you and your friend… It would be better if I left as soon as possible. It is safer that way," Eve's quivery voice trailed off.

"I can assure you that you're very safe here. Like I said, no one but me is allowed in this room." Even though Sakura said it she had a distinct feeling Eve wasn't talking about her _own_ safety.

0000

The pink haired nurse – Sakura – left the room, leaving Eve alone again. She was only awake for a few minutes when Sakura walked in but her head was spinning too much to try and run. She could barely sit up without a screaming headache practically making her eyes water. Eve's entire body ached. There wasn't going to be any running away for a little while.

Eve sat up so she could lean against the wall and her legs were dangling over the side of her bed. The cool wall felt good against her throbbing temples so she closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax.

'_This is a fine predicament I've gotten myself into – I can't even leave the hospital. There won't be any running for a few days at least…'_ Eve thought with a moan of defeat. She hated being trapped, but she hated the knowledge that she didn't have anywhere to go even if she were to leave that moment. Besides that, Konoha shinobi knew her face and they could find her in a second if she escaped.

When she was finally able to move around somewhat, she tied her ribbon back in her hair in case someone did walk in the room. Her backpack was sitting on the floor next to the chair.

'_I thought I lost it the night I tried to help that shinobi…'_ She ran her fingers over the course threadbare fabric and noticed that there was no dust rubbing off of it like there usually was. Normally it was damp or muddy so dirt would come off whenever she touched it – her blanket and jacket were always in the same condition – but suddenly they were all clean. Someone washed them recently.

'_The shinobi in the green spandex…?'_ thought Eve in bewilderment. She held her blanket up to her face. It had been a long time since it felt so soft and warm, and it even smelled flowery like gentle laundry detergent. _'The people in this village are too kind. I shouldn't stay here too long. I have to leave as soon as possible.'_

"Good, you're able to walk," Sakura beamed when she returned with a tray of food. "Lunch is served. Do you want to sit on the bed or in the chair?"

Eve moved wordlessly to the chair beside her – the freshly laundered blanket draped over her shoulders.

The plate held a large variety of foods that Sakura thought Eve could probably be able to hold down easily. There were lots of vegetables that were high in vitamins and a large pitcher of water. It was all easier to stomach than Sakura thought it would be, and before Eve realized it she'd cleared her entire plate in record time – washing it down with giant swigs of water strait from the pitcher.

"…" Sakura blinked a few times dumbly.

"Oh, uh, gomenasai Sakura-san," Eve murmured with a bow of her head, "I promise I'll pay you back for all the food _and_ the hospital bill."

Sakura would have none of it, "The only payment I accept is obeying my orders so you can get better. That means no leaving this room, trying to escape, etc, etc. Got it?"

"…Hai, I understand," Eve gave a defeated nod. Sakura appeared to be in a good mood, so Eve wanted to avoid seeing her in a bad mood. _'What ever gets me out of here sooner.'_

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**I'm sorry there is so little Lee in this chapter, but he'll be around a lot more in the next one I promise!**

**Starchip13**


	7. A Series of Events

**Chapter #6**

**A Series of Events**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Here is another chapter, and it's a long one!**

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**-Not far away from Konohagakure…-**

"Goddamn, Ishida, _please_ I can't deal with this right now!" a gangly young man hollered across his lonely little campsite.

He thought he was alone, but there was no way he was that lucky.

"You're the runt – Yoichi wasn't it? – the one that did all the grunt work?" a tall man with a slender build stepped out of the shadows with a faint smirk on his face. "Where is everyone else? Tsuji, Dai, Ebara? I need to talk to them right away."

"They're gone."

Ishida leaned forward slightly so the flickering light of the fire sent deep shadows across his angular features, "Well, then you better _find_ them. I'm not a particularly patient person, you know that, but you're lucky I'm in a good mood today. I had a little fun a few hours ago. I met a pair of nice sisters that were heading home from their grandparent's…"

Yoichi got to his feet and glared through his veil of sandy hair, "You don't get it. It doesn't matter how much dept our little _family_ has to pay off because I'm the only one left. They are all _dead_, Ishida!"

A couple strands of Ishida's perfectly combed back hair fell from behind his ear. He didn't have to ask. The anger in his face asked his question for him.

"A girl," Yoichi almost whispered in disbelief, "_one_ goddamn girl. We saw her walking along the side of the road alone. She didn't look like she had any money but we thought it would be fun anyway. All Ebara had to do was trip her and she went completely berserk. I don't know what the hell happened next… Ebara's arms tore off all on their own and went flying … and then his heart flew out of his chest. The rest of us ran for it. We didn't have a clue what else to do."

"Limbs were flying off on their own?" asked Ishida skeptically.

Nodding, Yoichi sat back down next to the fire in exhaustion, "I didn't think you would believe me…"

"No," Ishida paused, his eyes fixated in space momentarily, "What did the girl look like?"

"She had long pink hair, and when we grabbed the ribbon in her hair…"

"_Go on_."

"Why bother? You don't believe me anyway!"

The corner of Ishida's lip twitched. If there was one thing he hated it was defiance, and he certainly wasn't known for his patience for anyone.

"I came to collect a debt you guys owed to me, and I never go home without collecting. I don't care what, how or why. I just care about my money." Ishida cracked his knuckles with a low rumbling laugh, "Women are so arrogant, and they always get in the way. I'm going to find the girl responsible and she'll be the one to pay for getting in my way."

"No. Fucking. Way. _You_ didn't see what the hell went on-"

"You don't seem to realize that you don't have a choice, Yoichi."

0000

"The point of the game is to figure out which number goes where. Each box has nine squares and the entire puzzle has nine squares across and down. Put the numbers one to nine in each square and each column without repeating it. Do you get it?"

"I think so…"

"There are some examples of finished puzzles on the back if you get stuck. That helped me when I first started," Sakura grinned.

For the first two days of Eve's stay Sakura didn't see her do anything but wrap herself in a blanket and stare at the wall. She didn't talk much, unless it was an apology of course. So Sakura figured she would bring Eve something to do to pass the time. Sakura found an old book of sudoku puzzles she never finished and thought that Eve might take an interest in it. At least it was something to occupy her time.

Sakura dropped off the book with Eve's breakfast before making her rounds. She was just about to leave when Eve spoke up.

"…Um, Sakura-san, how much longer will it be until … I'm allowed out…?"

"Another day or so," Sakura shrugged, "You've been making a lot of progress. Your tests are coming back much better and if you keep eating healthy meals your weight should get back within a healthy range. Your muscles also need time to bounce back because after your body used up all its fat reserves it was forced to start breaking down a little muscle tissue to function."

Eve nodded. Her eagerness to leave was more than apparent. She was anxious whenever she heard people walk around next door, and it always got worse whenever Sakura came within a few feet of her.

Sakura wasn't a psychology major, but she could only guess what happened in Eve's past to make her so scared of people.

"I'll be back in a few hours with your lunch, but, like I said before, you are more than welcome to take a stroll around the hospital and grab a snack from one of the nurses."

"No, I'll be fine, thank you." Eve mumbled as she nibbled on fruit. Her pen was already furiously scratching numbers down on the page.

The pink haired medic made her way through her exceptionally dull rounds – they were so easy Sakura could almost do them in her sleep. Afterwards she headed back to Tsunade's office to pick up her other more time consuming assignments. If Tsunade wasn't passed out on her desk yet again that is.

No such luck. Tsunade was awake, and she noticed Sakura's mysterious disappearances.

"What on earth have you been doing for the past few days Sakura?" asked Tsunade, "It is not like you to pick and choose your assignments. I have a feeling your mind is somewhere else."

'_Damn, it's that tone…'_ Sakura bit her lip. Tsunade always said not to get too attached to a patient, and she always seemed to know exactly when Sakura was doing just that. "Lee brought in a patient two nights ago. She is homeless or a runaway, I'm not completely sure yet, but she is extremely underweight and she had hypothermia."

"And…?"

"…And she also has a social disorder. I'm trying to work something out for her so she won't go right back on the streets and end up worse than before. Her immense fear of people prevents her from coming near villages to find food and shelter," explained Sakura. "I've been trying to make arrangements at the hospitals and half way homes but everywhere is full and her situation isn't considered critical."

Tsunade sighed, "I'm impressed with your efforts, you're nothing if not determined, but you'll have to let a social worker take over her case because I need one hundred percent of your concentration on a new case. It is a very serious matter, Sakura, so I'm going to have to pull you off of your hospital rounds."

Sakura was surprised at the urgency in Tsunade's voice, "What is going on?"

Two pictures were sitting on Tsunade's desk – she'd been looking them over when Sakura walked in. They were both pictures of young women, one was in her teens and one was barely twenty. The both of them had pretty, young, looking faces and long brown hair. Apparently they were sisters – the resemblance between them was strong – and they were both looking back from autopsy photographs. There was no more life in them anywhere, not in their skin, their lips, their face, or their eyes. They were gaunt and pale as ghosts with a light blue hue to their identical lips.

Two pictures. Two sisters. Two heartbroken parents that would have to be notified. Two girls that were very close to Sakura's age. Two girls with friends, family and their whole lives ahead of them that would never get to experience everything life had to offer.

"They were found early this morning in a rice field just outside of town." Tsunade started cursing under her breath, "The moment we get rid of those damn bandits someone else starts picking up the slack."

Sakura swallowed a lump in her throat before asking, "Do you think it was the same person who slaughtered the bandits?"

"No, I don't think so. That slaughter was very bloodthirsty and gory. Someone took the time to dispose of the bodies of these two girls, and their death was relatively clean – they were both strangled."

"What do you need done, Tsunade-sama?"

"I've already got a couple ANBU keeping their eye out for any more signs of trouble, but I want a few Jounin notified of this as well. Track down anyone that is available and explain the situation to them. Then have the chunin at the academy post notices for civilians to avoid going outside alone after dark." Tsunade handed the file to Sakura, "Got it?"

"Hai," Sakura responded. She took the file from Tsunade before she turned to leave the hospital.

It was going to be a long day.

0000

Rock Lee jumped into the air with godlike speed and accuracy and wound up for his signature move – the Konoha Whirlwind. No normal person could have been fast enough to block the move, much less not break a bone in the process, but, as Lee anticipated, his opponent right at the ankle and intended to throw him off using Lee's own speed against him.

Hyuga Neji planted his grounding foot and allowed the other to spin his body with the sheer force of Lee's attack. A hot surge of chakra coursed through his palms which attacked every tendon in Lee's ankle and temporarily numbed them. If Lee couldn't pick up his normal speed – his main asset – then his brute force attacks wouldn't be nearly as effective.

Attacks were never just that simple in a sparing match between two high ranked Jounin. Lee always had his moves planned out in advance, and his movements were one of the more difficult for any Hyuga to read.

Lee angled his body downward, planting on firm hand on the ground, and used the gravity of the fall to spin and break Neji's grip. His other foot spun with it and very nearly caught the Hyuga prodigy in the ribs.

Just in time, Neji forced himself backwards. He felt the breeze of Lee's foot as it grazed across his shirt, and he gave an inward sigh of relief. A spinning kick from Lee in a fatal area would put him in the hospital for sure, but lucky for Neji he was just as good at dodging attacks as he was delivering them.

'_He has been getting faster lately,'_ observed Neji as he prepared for Lee's rebound attack, _'as much as I hate to admit it, he is constantly improving. He's come a long way since our Genin days, that's for sure. We all have…'_

Instead of another useless frontal attack Lee took off into the trees for some momentary cover. It wouldn't give him any more or less advantage he just needed a change of battlefield. Lee was constantly moving in battle because his stamina was another one of his major strengths.

Taking off full speed, Neji bounded into the upper branches of the canopy after his teammate and drew some kunai out of his pouch.

The two collided with the loud metallic crash of shuriken and kunai and both took a short retreat before repeating the action.

Lee didn't have the benefit of Neji's Bayakugan to be able to see his surroundings no matter now many branches surrounded him. He didn't even have the benefit of using chakra, so he didn't see Neji's shadow clone jump from Lee's blind spot.

The clone nailed Lee's back on the shoulder joint of his 'bad arm'.

0000

'_When is Sakura coming back?'_

Eve peered through a crack in the door nervously. It was hours since Sakura left to finish her rounds and Eve was starting to get hungry again. She could hear the hustle and bustle going on down the hall, but she doubted anyone even knew she was in the lonely little room at the end of the hall. No one was going to bring her any food, so she'd have to go find some sooner or later.

Pulling her familiar sweater over top of her hospital gown and double checking that her ribbon was on right, she gently eased the door open, and with a deep breath she stepped into the hallway.

No one noticed her, which was certainly a good thing. She just looked like another lonely patient that was shuffling down the brightly light hallway. The neon lights made her eyes sting a bit, and the linoleum floor was very cold, but she was fine. No one was bothering her.

The cafeteria was down the hall from the recovery wing so patients could get up and go get their own food if they wanted it – assuming they could get out of bed as well. Since it was already after the hours for serving dinner there were few people in the room – another plus – but there were still snacks laid out on one of the tables so she could help herself.

"The muffins aren't half bad if you're looking for something," a girl mentioned off handedly from the other side of the snack table. Eve jumped, that was the first time she was noticed outside of her room.

The girl was roughly the same age as Eve, though she was taller. She wore large round glasses in front of her honey amber eyes and her hair – it had red highlights in the fluorescent lighting but it was still closer to dark brown – was in disarray. She had a naturally lean figure with thin shoulders and hips, and irregularly long, but graceful, looking arms and legs. From what Eve could tell, she was a patient too. She had one of the doctor's coats over her hospital gown.

"I'd go for the blueberry muffins though," she added with an absentminded grin, "the big guy in the corner has been picking the chocolate chips off those other ones. I guess the doctors have him on some kind of diet and he is sneaking a nibble."

Eve timidly grabbed the muffin the redhead handed her – with elegant pianist fingers – and gave a shallow bow, "A-Arigato…"

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged. She left Eve with that same calm smile, "You enjoy it. I'm full so I'm heading out for a walk. I hate the air in this place - it's stale and smells like disinfectant."

Just when Eve thought she couldn't get any more surprises, she was pretty sure she saw a large spider dash out from under the table and scurry after the friendly redhead. The creature was very quick, so she only caught a quick glimpse of the black and red blur, but she was almost positive that it was a spider…

'_Now I'm seeing things,'_ thought Eve with a bite of her muffin. _'She was right about the muffin though…'_

With her muffin and a small cup of apple juice in hand Eve turned to make her way back to her room – where she planned to stay until Sakura returned.

Her luck was never that good. She didn't even make it back to her room before someone else saw her, and this time it was someone who recognized her.

Eve shuffled along the mildly busy hallway, careful not to disturb anyone, and with her usual veil of dark rose coloured hair hanging in front of her eyes. The veil of hair was the main reason why she accidentally bumped into someone who let out a small grunt of pain – she's hit someone who was obviously injured.

Out of reflex alone Eve turned to bow and utter a soft apology, but she caught a glimpse of green spandex and she froze.

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**Yes, this chapter is very jam packed! You know you're twisted when you mix dramatic murders with a slight amount of comedy. **

**XD Bonus points for everyone who can tell me the tall **_**redhead's **_**real name!!**

**Starchip13**


	8. The Runaway

**Chapter #7**

**The Runaway**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Sorry for the long delay. Life has been sooooo busy, more so than usual. There is school, work, homework, friends, special occasions (my birthday on Monday, hehe), and much more going on… (dies)**

**And as for the question last time… Those of you who guessed Saori (my character from my Shino/OC story) were correct! I'm starting to make profiles for a lot of my characters so check out my site and tell me what you think (take out the spaces)**

**www. Starchip13. when Lee thought he'd never see her again, there she was. The girl with long the red-pink hair and the hair ribbon. She was even wearing her signature shirt overtop of her hospital gown.**

During a rough sparing session Lee took a hard blow to his bad shoulder and then took a nasty fall out of the trees. He caught himself in time, but it was a bit harder when he couldn't move his right arm. Neji checked him to make sure it wasn't a serious injury and it turned out that he'd dislocated the shoulder joint.

The injury wasn't serious, and Neji did help him pop the shoulder back into place, but there was still a numb feeling in his fingers. Without a medic-nin's aid his arm would be in a sling for a couple weeks at least, but he still needed to perform his regular missions so he figured he'd track down Sakura or another medic that could cut that time down to less than half.

He had a minor injury, so he was sent to see one of the nurses on the other side of the recovery floor for a quick check up. He expected to see a lot of recovering patients, but not _her_. Not the pink haired ghost girl.

She stared at him with her signature 'deer in the headlight' expression. She always seemed on edge like that, which made Lee wonder exactly what she went through to become so cautious.

Would she try and make a run for it again, even in a hospital?

"H-Hey," Lee tried not to make her jump again, but just listening to him talk made her flinch, "You remember me don't you? You tried to help me out a few days ago."

Her amber eyes continued staring at him, unblinking and wide.

Lee offered her his uninjured arm, "My name is Rock Lee by the way. My friend and I brought you to Sakura-chan when you fainted."

The pinkette still didn't say anything or accept Lee's handshake, but the expression in her eyes flickered somewhat. It was fast, Lee barely caught the change, but it was obvious that she still didn't want to be anywhere near a hospital or people in general.

The girl tried to walk away again after that, but Lee spoke up, "Could I at least know your name?"

She paused, eyes fixated on the floor before glancing up again. Her voice was very wispy, like she'd lost her voice, "Eve."

"Eve," Lee felt like he had to say it once for himself, "That is a very pretty name. It sounds very youthful."

At first she didn't say anything and her eyes darted around to look for any means of escape. When she couldn't find any she finally asked, "Why did you want to find _me_?"

"I told you, I wanted to thank you," Lee responded cheerfully.

"Sounds like a lot of trouble to find someone like me…"

Lee was a little taken back by the comment but continued anyway, "But it is a good thing that I did find you. You were very weak when I found you. You could have died out there all alone…"

Her eyes darted away again as she muttered, "It is better that I am not around people. It is safer that way."

"No one will hurt you here."

That time she refused to respond, even though she looked like she wanted to.

"Where are you going after you leave?" asked Lee with a solemn tone to his voice.

Eve shrugged. They both knew she didn't have anywhere to go. She would just continue wondering around like she had in the past, avoiding villages and other large groups of people. She had a good chance of ending up in the same physical state that she was in before being hospitalized.

The pinkette turned away, having nothing more to say to Rock Lee.

"You should stay in the village for at least a little while," Lee called after her, "people are very pleasant here, and there are places you could stay. It would be a shame if you left so soon after recovering."

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Eve slammed the door of her little isolated hospital room and pressed her back up against it. She listened carefully to the familiar sounds of footsteps echoing down the hall, but none of them came close to her little 'safe place behind enemy lines'. That was where she was, behind enemy lines. Within the realm of people would try and kill her in a moment if they ever found out what she really was. People were all the same. They would never see the scared little girl behind the horns, behind her bloody 'other self'.

No one could get close to her. Anyone that got close to Eve would die.

"_They only seem nice, they only seem trusting, but they will hate you if they find out. They will try to hurt you. You don't want to be caged again do you? Do you want all that pain back in your life? Do you want to live in that darkness again?"_ a familiar, yet harsh, voice probed.

'_I'm never going back to the why things were,'_ Eve slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor, _'I have to leave, soon. I can't afford any more delays.'_

Eve got to her feet and began gathering what few possessions she owned. The faded blanket, her clothes, etc were all folded carefully and put into the sad looking canvas backpack. She slipped on the flimsy little shoes she always wore and retied the bow in her hair to be positive that it would not come off.

Over a little less than a week she'd already gained back a tiny portion of the weight she'd lost while wondering, but she was likely to loose it again. Her main source of food had always been fish she caught with her old fishing rod, but it was snapped into pieces when she was attacked just outside Konoha. She'd have to look for another way to catch fish. Until then she would probably scavenge on small farms for vegetables and scraps like she used to do when she was younger.

On the way back through the cafeteria she picked through the food still out on the table and slipped it into her sack when she was sure no one was watching her.

Butterflies of guilt churned in Eve's stomach as she zipped up her backpack full of food, _'Father, forgive me, I promise I'll pay these people back for the food as soon as I can.'_

"_Not much point in promising that to the old man. He can't hear you."_

Eve's brow drew together in agitation as she headed for the nearest marked exit.

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"Why do you _always_ overdue it, Lee-kun?" moaned Sakura. Her chakra coursed through the muscles in his shoulder and reconnected the torn tissues that the dislocated shoulder caused. "I want you to wear a sling for a couple days at least. Don't move it around more than you have to or else your muscles won't heal properly. I sure hope you're good with your left hand because your right hand will feel strange for a little while."

"Of course, Sakura-chan," Lee answered sheepishly. He gave a nervous cough, "So, how are things between you and Sasuke-kun? Splendid I presume?"

"Yes they are. They are just fine, Lee." Sakura replied curtly, "Please don't change the subject."

Sakura wasn't surprised that Lee would ask about Sasuke. There was a bit of mild tension between the two men ever since Sakura and Sasuke became an item a few months back. Lee was a polite enough person to accept that Sakura always loved Sasuke and always would, but that didn't change his feelings about the medic-nin. He still cared for her deeply, and there was a little jealousy in him, even if he didn't know it himself.

Lee laughed sheepishly, "Gomen, Sakura-chan."

Neither of them spoke as Sakura prepared a proper sling for Lee's arm.

"Not to change the subject again," Lee began, "but you seem anxious. Is something troubling you?"

"You could say that," Sakura muttered. "You heard about those two girls that were found in a rice field this morning didn't you, the sisters?"

"…" The green clad ninja's eyes dropped a bit, "Hai, Neji-kun told me before we had our match. It is rather unsettling."

"It is more than unsettling, it is monstrous," Sakura's voice was hinted with venom. "How can someone do something like that? He didn't even bother hiding the bodies, whoever it was just dumped them, which means he is just taunting us. I spent all morning running messages and missions all over the village, but the chances are that the killer will make another move before we get any leads. The killer will pick out any girl who wonders outside the walls of the village. The village is attracting blood like a magnet."

"Do not get your hopes down, Sakura-chan. I am sure things will turn out for the best."

Sakura sighed, "No wonder Eve is so afraid of people. With things like this going on…"

Lee blinked at the sound of the name, "It is a shame. There are kind people out there, like you Sakura-chan, and it does not seem that Eve has met those people before."

"_You_ met her?" Sakura gaped.

"I was searching for you when I bumped into her. It was coincidence, an accident, but I am still glad that I finally talked with her. I tried to get her to stay in the village for a little while, but she is eagerly waiting for when she can leave." Lee frowned, "It makes me sad to see someone look so helpless."

"Well," Sakura smirked, "if you met her then at least she left her room. I feel bad that I couldn't bring her food today, but Tsunade had me running all around the village. Maybe it did her some good to walk around the hospital a bit."

"Then I should apologies. I might have made her nervous. She went back to her room very quickly after our short conversation."

"I'll go visit her when I'm done here." Sakura's brow furrowed, "I need another excuse to get her to stay longer. She is capable of leaving very soon but I'm afraid of what will happen if she leaves now of all times."

"Are you going to set her up with one of the rehab apartments?" asked Lee.

Sakura sighed deeply, "Rooms are tight, but I could get her one if I pulled a few strings. But judging by the way she acts she would likely just run away. I was actually thinking I'd get her to stay with _me_. At least until things calm down."

Lee couldn't help but smile on the inside, "You seem protective of her, more so than your other patients."

"Well," Sakura turned a little red, "she reminds me a lot of me, back in my academy days. Someone was there for me back then, and it doesn't look like Eve has anyone around to help her. She has developed quite the shell…"

Lee didn't know Sakura back in her academy days, but from what he gathered she'd been a very shy and insecure young girl. The others picked on her because she looked different, but then she made friends with Ino and her confidence blossomed. Lee wondered if Sakura would be like Eve if she hadn't found a friend who believed in her.

Poor Eve had no one to believe in her, or so they guessed.

"Would you permit me to visit her, if not only briefly, Sakura-chan?" Lee rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I would like to apologies. I may have made her feel cornered. I do not want her to leave without at least saying sorry."

Sakura nodded, "Ok, you can just come with me when I take her some supper. But if she asks you to leave then I'm afraid you'll have to respect her wishes."

"Ok, Sakura-chan. I promise."


	9. Safe Place

**Chapter #8**

**Safe Place**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"Eve-chan," Sakura knocked on the door lightly a couple times, "its Sakura. There is a guest here that wants to see you, is it ok if he comes in?"

There wasn't an answer, which wasn't that surprising. Eve was a very quiet person, she didn't speak unless it was absolutely necessary, but she usually made some kind of noise to acknowledge Sakura.

"Eve?" Sakura opened the door and looked inside, "Kami! She promised she wouldn't do this!"

"Do what, Sakura-chan?" Lee stepped in the room. He didn't see anything, which was exactly the problem. The bed was made and there weren't any belongings in the room. If Lee didn't know better he would have thought the room was supposed to be unoccupied.

"She ran off! She took all of her things and just ran off!" Sakura was visibly fuming with frustration.

"Could we not just follow her? Eve-chan could not have gotten that far," suggested Lee.

Sakura rubbed her temples, "No, we can't. Tsunade doesn't want anyone getting distracted right now with everything going on. We've both got duties, and even if Eve hasn't gotten that far we have no idea which way she went. It could take a _very_ long time to find her…"

Lee had a gut feeling about that girl. There was just something about her that was very different, not bad different, just different. Lee was the type of person to go with his gut instincts.

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How long would it take to get to the next village? Maybe half a day or a little less? Eve wasn't sure. She didn't know the layout of the area around Konoha particularly well because she wasn't native to the fire country. Either way she needed to get somewhere where people wouldn't notice her.

Eve nibbled on one of the muffins she took from the hospital as she walked. It was good to have some real food in her stomach for once, but she'd have to ration it so it wouldn't run out so quickly. Eve needed to find a new way of getting food until more edible plants started growing in the forests again, then she could survive until the next winter. It was a sad little system but it worked fine for her thus far. If her fishing rod hadn't been snapped she wouldn't have gone so close to Konoha in the first place.

'_They were such nice people, Sakura-chan, and that other one, Lee-kun,'_ Eve paused in mid-chew. There was a pang of guilt whenever she thought about them, and after a while it started getting on her _other_ half's nerves.

"_Kami, I swear if you don't stop you're whining…"_ Kira's consciousness would continuously grumble in the back of Eve's mind.

"Sakura-chan is very worried about you, Eve-chan."

Eve jumped out of her skin and spun around. That green clad ninja was standing behind her, arm in a sling, and his thick eyebrows turned down in a frown. He was a tall guy – six feet, maybe more – so Eve just instinctively shrunk away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Eve-chan," Lee gave a reassuring smile, "I guess walking up behind someone silently is a reflex, I apologize."

"_This guy is seriously getting on my nerves,"_ Kira hissed, _"Let me deal with him and then we can leave."_

'_No,' _Eve retorted stubbornly before turning her attention back to Lee. She had to say something, or she would look like a nut having a conversation inside her own head. "How did you find me?"

"Neji-kun and I found you just off this trail, remember? I thought there was a good chance I would discover you here once again."

"I'm not going back."

Lee shrugged, "I can not make you, Eve-chan, but I would like to invite you back to Konoha. I know you would like it there if you gave it the chance. It is safe there, and you would not have to flee from whatever is frightening you. Sakura-chan and I would help you find a place to stay, and you would have friends, people that want to be around you just for the sake of being around you. Sakura-chan is very fond of you, you know, she is a very caring person."

A light cool breeze passed between the two of them, flowing through Eve's red-pink hair like a million tiny little fingers and tussling with her beloved hair ribbon. Eve had the same somber look on her face she always wore, and refused to look Lee in the eye yet again.

"I don't fear for myself," she stated softly, "it's others I fear for. I have a tendency to bring … _misfortune_ wherever I go. I'm not afraid of Konoha, Konoha should be afraid of me."

Lee blinked in confusion, "How so?"

"I'm unlucky that way, I guess," Eve sighed, "and a close friend of mine has a very bad temper."

"Like I said, I cannot make you go back," Lee repeated when he realized he wasn't going to get much more out of her, "But it would mean a lot to Sakura-chan if you did go back. Someone is wondering around killing women, young girls like yourself that are left alone. I do not think she would forgive herself if you ended up like that."

That hit a nerve. Lee assumed it had something to do with the murders. Maybe it had something to do with her 'violent friend'?

"There are good people and then there are bad people in this world, and you, Lee-kun, are one of those good people. You, Sakura-chan and people like you…" Eve stared at her feet, "…and it breaks my heart to see good people get hurt."

"Then what do you consider yourself, Eve-chan? A good person or a bad person?"

"A dangerous person … and a sucker for punishment," Eve added.

One of Lee's massively thick eyebrows quirked in amusement, "Indeed, you avoid people at risk to your health."

"Not quite what I meant, but you do have a point."

"Come back to Konoha?" Lee gave Eve a look, kind of his own revised version of the puppy dog pout. It almost looked cute, but mostly he just looked silly. Eve made a half snort when she saw it to keep from laughing at him.

Lee grinned, "Made you smile. I do believe that is the first time I've seen you smile too, now isn't it?"

'_People are too nice here, nice people get hurt,'_ Eve reminded herself over and over. How long ago was it that she was actually around people? Eve wasn't sure since she didn't even own a watch, but it had to have been three or four years. That was such a long time to be alone … Eve didn't think she even could smile anymore, but somehow Lee made it happen so easily. _'Why does he have to be so incredibly nice? Why can't he just ignore me, a stranger, like any other normal person? I shouldn't go back, but I really want to. Kami how I want to go back there…'_

"You're very strange…" Eve mumbled, suppressing a smirk, "you and the rest of the people you know. For all you know _I_ could be this dangerous person you're so worked up over."

"I do not believe you are, Eve-chan."

"Why not?"

"You do not have the eyes of a killer, you look far to kind. I would also wager a guess that you probably do not like the sight of blood. I also believe that you are also not physically capable – at this time anyway – of subduing victims, you are far to frail right now," explained Lee.

"_He is an idiot but he is not a fool. Either way he is annoying."_

'_Please stop, it is hard to concentrate if you keep talking.'_

"_You're not going to give into this freak of nature, are you? Let this dump of a village deal with its own problems. You know he's right when he says you can't handle blood, and baling you out of a problem is not one of my favourite pastimes."_

"What happened to your smile, Eve-chan?" Lee pouted.

"It's nothing," she retorted quickly as she pushed Kira to the back of her mind again, "but I can't go back. If I leave now I can get to the next village and get more supplies."

"With what?"

"Small vendors usually pay for herbs and anything edible from the forests, and I'm good and finding those. I can save up for a new fishing pole and some other things that way," Eve explained. "Winters are hard on me, and now that things are starting to grow again I can get by easy enough."

Even though Lee didn't seem to be getting anywhere so far as convincing Eve to stay in Konoha, but he realize that he was currently having the longest conversation with her he'd ever had. It was strange, like pulling teeth to get a response, and she wasn't giving strait answers, but if there was any sign that she trusted anyone, it was Lee. He just had to find a way to use that to his advantage.

"Sakura-chan could use someone with knowledge about herbs. She's been so busy lately that I bet she doesn't have time to go out herself and get them. Sakura-chan would really appreciate a little help here and there," suggested Lee, "It would be very convenient to have you around at a time like this."

Eve sighed. Lee wasn't going to give up any time soon and Kira was growing increasingly impatient with him. She had two choices on the table in front of her, one was the smarter choice and the overall safer choice, and the other was foolish though far more appealing. Eve was so used to being alone for so long that going anywhere near Konohagakure was a mistake because she suddenly remembered what it felt like to actually have someone cared whether you came home or not. Lee was acting like a doting parent, as was Sakura. Eve could barely even remember what it was like to have a doting parent, it was strangely reassuring…

"_You're a fool on so many levels if you even consider turning back, you know that?"_

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The social corner of Konoha Jounin wasn't buzzing like it usually was, but of course one could always find Naruto at Ichiraku when he wasn't working, and where there was Naruto there were usually a few other friends. That evening Naruto was wolfing down his third bowl of ramen while Sakura was nibbling glumly on some dumplings and Neji sipped some tea. Apparently it was Neji's break on the night shift watch and he needed something to wake him up and calm him down since that shift was with Naruto.

"You have to cheer up, Sakura-chan," Naruto sputtered out between half chewed noodles, "Order some ramen, it will make you feel better."

"Ramen doesn't solve every problem, Naruto," Sakura grumbled.

Neji raised an eyebrow, "What has you in such a mood anyway?"

"One of my patients skipped town as soon as she got the change. You know who it is, the girl you and Lee brought in. The one that is so afraid of being around people she wouldn't even stick around for a full hospital stay." Sakura sighed, "Poor girl, I thought I could get through to her and make her stay where it was safe. If she turns up like those other two girls…"

"Oh, I don't think you're going to have a problem with that," Neji stated dryly.

"Why?"

"Turn around and look to your left, not more than a block away, you can't miss him."

Sakura did as she was told and, sure enough, she saw Lee dragging the pinkette behind him because his strides were too long for her to keep up.

"Sakura-chan, look at who I found!" Lee bounded down the street, weaving through half a dozen groups of people. Eve was letting him lead, she was just staring at the ground in front of her like a child that had just been given the scolding of her life.

Sakura's jaw dropped, "He actually went searching for her?"

Neji shrugged, "You know Lee will do anything to make you happy. Chances are he probably begged her until she agreed to come back."

"So _that_ is the girl you're so depressed over," Naruto finally got the chance to finish off his ramen and look up, "what is so special about her?"

"She's just … different," Sakura stated dryly. "Haven't you ever heard of doctor-patient confidentiality, Naruto?"

"Eventually something is going to slip, Sakura," Neji whispered to Sakura discretely, "and she'll just run away again when that happens."

Sakura almost kept forgetting the Bayakugan. It was almost creepy how Neji could know more than he could 'see' which made it very difficult to keep him out of the loop. Neji could easily see any emotion or insecurity in a person's eyes, and Sakura wondered what Neji saw in her eyes. Fear? Loneliness? Guilt?

Lee bounded up to the ramen stand, Eve in tow, with a big grin on his face, "Mission accomplished, Eve-chan has been brought back to Konoha, and all is well."

"I am very sorry, Sakura-chan…" Eve mumbled quietly, "I didn't intend to make you worry."

"Then you probably should have stayed until you were released from the hospital," Sakura pointed out. A small smile crept across her face as she spoke, "You're resourceful I have to admit. If you'd been trained you probably would have made a good shinobi, but you're barely well enough to be out of the hospital so you probably would have gotten very sick very quickly. You're immune system takes a beating when you are malnourished."

Eve started staring at her feet again.

"Sit down, I'll treat you to something. The ramen is excellent, just ask Naruto, but there are others things if you feel like something a little easier on your stomach," Sakura patted the empty stool next to her.

"N-no, I couldn't ask you to—"

"Who's asking? It is not a request. You have to eat regularly, especially now, or you're just going to start getting sick."

Lee chuckled, "Sakura-chan will not let you refuse. I would recommend taking a seat, Eve-chan."

Eve slouched in defeat as she took her seat. Her eyes scanned over the others at the ramen bar, including a familiar pale eyed brunette sitting on the far side of the noisy blonde with whisker markings.

The blonde boy waved at her in a friendly manner introducing himself, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next hokage, believe it!"

"We've already met," the pale eyed young man responded to Eve's gaze coolly, "I'm Hyuga Neji."

"Eve," she murmured. Being around Neji made her all kinds of uncomfortable, it was like those eyes of his could see through everything, and he possessed such a professional poker face that you could never tell exactly what he was thinking. He could know everything about her or he could know nothing, it would not have made a difference one way or the other as far as his expression went.

Lee took the last empty seat next to Eve and ordered himself a bowl of ramen. He struggled with his chopsticks since his right arm was in a sling and he wasn't adept to using his left hand for precession things like writing or eating. It was interesting to watch, Naruto got quite a kick out of it, and Lee started shouting that if he couldn't finish the bowl without spilling he'd start doing laps around the village on one foot. Neji just rolled his eyes and Sakura scolded Lee about making impossible demands on himself when he was only just healing from a dislocated shoulder. Eve wondered if the events were normal since no one else was giving them weird looks, not on the street or behind the counter of the stand.

The banter between the group of friends went on for some time, so eventually Eve gave in and ordered some tea with honey and a small platter of sweet dumplings. Evidentially she had a sweet tooth.

It was hours before any of them decided to go home, but Eve was the only one out of them that didn't have an actual home to go to.

Lee said his long heartfelt goodbyes, even though he would likely see everyone the very next day. After only a few hours of observation Eve noticed that a lot of the comments and good will gestures were mainly directed at Sakura, and he really was not shy about it. He openly asked her on a date at least two or three times over the couple hours at the ramen stand, and even after every attempt was shot down he still continued. Then there was also the fact that he said Sakura's name in his sleep…

'_He is a love struck fool,'_ Eve realized as she watched him head back to his own apartment. She almost felt sad because Sakura didn't give any indication that she thought of him as more than a friend.

Sakura handed her plate back to the man behind the counter and got to her feet. She looked like she was going to walk off, but she turned to Eve and asked, "Well, are you coming?"

"Huh?" Eve gazed dumbly up at Sakura.

"Since you unofficially checked yourself out of the hospital you can't stay there, so for now you can sleep at my apartment. I have a spare room so you'll be quite comfortable," explained Sakura, she waved for Eve to follow.

Eve ran to catch up with Sakura, "Why are you and your friends being so nice?"

"What, people can't be nice to you?"

"There is being nice, and then there is inviting a stranger to live in your house…"

"Do you have anywhere else to go or any money for a room?"

Eve pouted, "I've gotten by on camping for a long time, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smirked, "And it made you end up in the hospital with hypothermia and malnutrition."

"But—"

"No more buts," insisted Sakura, "My apartment is safe, warm and has a stocked fridge."

"Why do you care so much, Sakura-chan?" Eve sighed in defeat.

"Because I've seen a lot of bad things happen to girls who just drift from village to village, and with all the things that are happening lately … I guess you could call me paranoid. I don't want to take the chance of having another person end up on a slab, especially someone I know," Sakura shrugged. "Plus, you remind me a lot of me when I was young. There is a strong person in you, Eve, you just need to let that person show more often."

Eve frowned, "Believe me, you don't ever want to meet _that_ person."

At the time Sakura didn't think much about that statement.

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**Ya, its been a while since my last update, but I'm sooo busy with the holidays coming up and then after that I get to look forward to exams (hooray … not). This is a good sized chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it. I look forward to some reviews!**

**Starchip13**


	10. Strange People

1**Chapter #9**

**Strange People**

**Disclaimer: **** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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Did all people in Konoha have such cushy beds?

Eve felt like she was sinking into the comforters. It felt so nice not to be sleeping on the ground for once where there was usually a rock or two stuck in your back at some point. Sakura's spare bedroom was nothing like that. It was a comfy little room in a comfy little apartment in the quiet suburbs of Konohagakure.

In the early morning Eve continued just staring around the room in awe at the pastel colours around the room as the sun slowly rose in the sky. There was a single bed crammed into one corner with a small closet directly opposite and a full sized mirror on the door.

Someone finally knocked on the door some time later and Sakura peeked her head in, "Are you awake, Eve-chan? I was just about to make some breakfast."

Food was about the only thing that could have coaxed the pinkette out of her warm cocoon. She could already smell the scent of toast and eggs as it wafted through the bedroom door. The thought of a nice hot meal that _wasn't_ hospital food made her petite stomach growl and her mouth water.

Eve walked into the kitchen after tying her ribbon over her horns again. Even though Sakura already knew what was hidden under it, tying the ribbon was a hard habit for Eve to break. She didn't want to take the chance of someone else walking in the apartment or gazing in the window and seeing her. Eve didn't think that she would be able to stand being driven out just when she found so many kind people that were willing to overlook her oddities.

"I see that my pajamas fit fine," Sakura greeted Eve with a smile.

They were both tired the night before so Sakura picked a random pair of pajamas out of her closet for Eve to sleep in. They were deep purple and blue with flowers on them and the shirt was just an old baggy thing with faded pictures of kittens on the front. It didn't watch at all and it was a little too big because Eve was underweight at the time, but it was warm and smelled like flowery laundry detergent. It wasn't the same type of stuff Lee used on her blanket though, she noted when she first put them on. She liked that scent better for some reason, and the smell already wore out of her things.

Sakura's hair was still mussed up with bed head while Eve – who never moved in her sleep – woke up with a nearly perfect head of hair. The clothes hung loosely off both of them and they were both bare foot and sleepy-eyed at that point so early in the morning.

They both took their plates of food to the table in the far corner of the kitchen and slowly munched away at them.

"I have a shift at the hospital today, so I won't be home until this afternoon," Sakura explained as they ate, "feel free to hang around the apartment if you like, or you can go for a walk in town if you think you can find your way back well enough. There is a spare key in the mail box."

Eve nodded, she had a decent sense of direction, and the layout of Konoha wasn't that complicated if you didn't take the back roads. She contemplated going to the woods behind the training grounds. There were probably lots of herbs there that Sakura would find useful, and Eve felt guilty if she didn't do something nice for the person that was putting her up.

Sakura showered quickly while Eve continued eating, her stomach got upset if she ate too much too quickly. When Sakura was finished she put some fresh towels out for Eve so she could have a hot shower too.

The bathroom was clean and coloured in pastels like most of the apartment and there were a couple fluffy white towels sitting on the counter next to the sink. There were all sorts of feminine products laying around like makeup and such, and the mirror was a cabinet for face wash, aspirin and tooth paste.

The steam given off by the running of hot water felt nice, so Eve was more than willing to step under the halo of warm water. She suddenly remembered all of the luxuries she missed that came with having a home. Once in a while she could probably find a hot spring. Eve even knew the locations of her favorites from memory, but having a hot shower every day sure beat bathing in a cold river when there wasn't a hot spring handy.

Sakura's place reminded Eve of home. When she used to have one at least.

Eve stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled off. She pulled on from fresh clothes and started combing out her long red-pink hair. Eve's hair got long over the past few years and she never did have the chance to cut it. She thought about it from time to time since long hair tangled so easily and it was just more convenient to have less of it to deal with. There were plenty of chances for her to cut her hair, but somehow she just never got around to it.

"_**You should grow your hair. It looks pretty that way. It makes you look like a little angel."**_

Eve cringed, _'Oh, ya, that's why I don't cut my hair…'_

The shampoo and conditioner Sakura had in the bathroom made her hair soft again. Before it was like straw and it didn't have any shine to it at all. It had been slowly dieing with her before the stay at the hospital. Suddenly it was silky, shiny, and soft. It felt nice to run her fingers through it again.

'_Otou-san would be happy,'_ she decided with a smile, _'he would call me an angel.'_

Once she was fully satisfied her ribbon was covering her horns properly she used the spare key to lock up the apartment and headed outside. It was a strange feeling, being so close to people all of a sudden. She passed plenty of people on the sidewalk and she shied away a little when they got close to her, but no one paid her any mind. She was just another person with her ribbon on, and there was no apparent threat so there was no danger of Kira 'taking charge' of the situation.

Eve found her way back to the main street, but got away from it as quickly as time permitted. It was far to crowded for her liking, the side roads were far more deserted, which was what Eve found familiar.

The training grounds were relatively close, and it was such a nice day so Eve was enjoying herself. She was so used to being outside that it made her blissfully calm, which was saying a lot for someone like Eve. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the canopy of leave, making interesting patterns across the grass. Eve found a clearing full of tall grass in the trees only a few yards beyond the training grounds and started her search for any usable herbs. Some were disinfectants, some helped blood clot to stop bleeding wounds, some could act as mild pain killers and others were useless unless they were combined with other ingredients. Eve knew how to set each of them apart easily and how a method of storing them in her backpack to make them last longer. Since the long periods of rain Konoha had become very lush. It was quite the change from only a couple weeks before, and it was perfect for herbs.

'_Sakura will find this useful,'_ Eve thought as she examined the frail plant leaves between her fingers. When it was dried and mixed with water the scent given off was good therapy for patients with asthma.

"Alright Lee, now that we have finished our morning laps around the village and our vigorous warm up exercises, the real training can begin!"

"Yosh! Hai, Gai-sensei!"

Eve nearly dropped her backpack.

'_No way…'_ Eve strained to hear the voices beyond the clearing, but she already had a pretty good idea of who one of the voices belonged to, _'…is Lee-kun here?'_

"_Shit, does that guy not have a life outside training or what?"_

As quietly as possible, Eve crept back to the training grounds and watched from behind the trees. She knew Lee probably wouldn't care if she watched his training, in fact he would probably be happy, but going about life trying to be unnoticed was hardwired into her system. Eve would have made herself known sooner if there had not been another person with lee.

The man – presumably 'Gai-sensei' – was dressed in identical attire to Rock Lee. Everything from the green spandex suit and vest to the bowl cut and bushy eyebrows was the same. They could have been siblings, or at least related in some way, the resemblance was so striking. Though it was hard to tell the man's age, Eve guessed he was in his late twenties or early thirties.

The two began a sparing match using Taijutsu only, or so Gai said, but Eve couldn't believe the speed they used. The two of them were green blurs, Eve could barely keep track of their movements, and it was all without the aid of chakra. It was all pure physical strength. Eve suddenly understood Lee's obsession with training – even until the point of collapse – every bit of it built up the speed, strength and stamina that Lee and Gai used. They were Taijutsu specialists. The most amazing ones that Eve had ever seen in her life.

Lee hit the ground – hard – and rolled to avoid a kick from his sensei. The ground buckled from the force of the impact and chunks of earth were sent flying. Eve gave a small squeak and dropped to the ground to avoid getting pegged in the head by the debris.

The noise got the attention of the two ninja in the clearing and they immediately halted what they were doing. Eve groaned and dusted the small pebbles from her hair

Eve stood up from behind her little hiding place since her cover was blown anyway. Might as well face the music.

Lee blinked, "Eve-chan?"

"Gomenasai," Eve bowed her head meekly, "I didn't mean to interrupt your training."

The green clad boy waved his hands, "No, no, we do not mind at all! I assure you, Eve-chan!"

The tall man who was identical to Lee raised one of his massively thick eyebrow, "So is this the mysterious girl that has been causing such a fuss around the village for the past week?"

"I'm sorry!" Eve spat out by habit.

"What are you apologizing for, hm?" Gai grinned and have Eve is signature good guy pose, "It is spring, the time to change, rebirth and - most importantly - youth! We are glad to have a new friend among us to share in the glorious springtime youth! Why, even you're name is youthful, Eve-chan!"

"Yosh! Gai-sensei!" cheered Lee.

"_Lord almighty, these guys are freaks of nature! They belong in a looney bin, the both of them!"_

'_And we don't?'_

"So what brings you to the training grounds this lovely morning, Eve-chan?" asked Lee.

Eve fidgeted with the strap of her bag, "I was gathering herbs and medicinal plants for Sakura-chan. I noticed many different kinds growing around here after all that rain."

"Why of course, the rain brings life and youth back to Konoha every spring! That is why it is the best time of the year!" exclaimed Gai.

"Yosh, you are very wise, Gai-sensei"

Eve could easily say that there probably wasn't anyone else in the world that even came close to Lee and Gai. They were off the charts in so many categories - including most enthusiastic and most likely to be insane - and they were also quickly climbing to the top of Kira's incredibly long hit list. Eve was forced to concentrate harder than she normally would to suppress Kira's voice so she could pay attention to what was going on in front of her.

"I will let the two of your finish your training," Eve gave a shallow bow. "I' sure your very busy working hard."

"That is quite right," Gai grinned and gave another thumbs up, "We will have to continue this conversation another time because we are on a strict training schedule. Feel free to join us sometime and share the youth!"

"Yosh!"

Inside Eve giggled. Sure, they were peculiar, but at the same time they were quite amusing. Konoha was filled with many strange people, but Eve kind of liked it.

'_Everyone is so nice here...'_ Eve thought as she took her leave.

"_They are only friendly until they find out, and if you stay people are going to find out eventually. Either that Sakura girl will betray us or someone else. You can't keep a secret like ours for very long."_

Eve frowned at the ground. In the end, Kira was right, and she knew it. People were afraid of what they didn't understand and they hated anything different. In the past Eve witnessed first hand how jinchuuriki were treated in their villages, and she felt first hand the sting of being feared and rejected by people.

"_Do you honestly think you'll be able to handle it when they know? Could you face those looks they'll give you without retreating behind _me_?"_

The pictures were still in Eve's mind. The looks of disgust, the anger, the fear, the tears, the screams ... and the blood. Eve's stomach lurched from her aversion to blood, making her nearly drop the bag of herbs. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was Kira's bloodlust. Every other memory Kira took delight in replaying was full of blood and death because those were the only memories Kira had. The very glimpse of Kira's memories made Eve feel nauseous.

The streets were a little busier when Eve made it back to town because it was closer to noon and everyone was about getting something to eat. Wanting to give Sakura the herbs right away, Eve was forced to go down the main street to the hospital where Sakura worked. She passed the ramen shop on the way but it was full and she didn't see anyone she recognized, not that she actually knew very many people in Konoha, and it was probably just as well. Being too close to too many people was never a good thing for anyone different or anyone with something to hide...

At the hospital Eve walked past the waiting room and up to the reception counter, "Is Haruno Sakura-san here?"

"I'm afraid she left on some urgent business," the receptionist answered apologetically, "she got a message from the Hokage, it sounded urgent, and she didn't say when she'd be back."

Eve blinked, "W-What happened?"

The receptionist took at her co-worker, who was busy helping a patient check in, before leaning in closer to Eve and whispering, "Between you and me, some bad things have been happening over the past few weeks. A while ago a pair of sisters was found dead, and just a few days ago another girl was found dead in her apartment. This morning Sakura-san was sent out to somewhere in the suburbs with another shinobi to investigate something. I'd bet anything its another murder."

One of the reasons Sakura impressed on Eve was the immediate danger in the area. There was someone targeting young girls running loose

"Each of the girls was raped and murdered, and they were all by themselves when it happened, so I wouldn't go out by yourself if I were you." The receptionist frowned, "A pretty young thing like you shouldn't be wondering around alone now days, you know? These days no one is safe."

A lump formed in Eve's throat. Sakura was helping investigate the rampage of an out of control rapist. Though Eve knew it wasn't her fault that someone was having their way with the village, she still got a bad feeling about what was going on. Eve figured she almost blamed herself because any carnage or tragedy was usually due to her presence.

"Would you like me to deliver a message that you were here when she comes back?" asked the receptionist.

Eve shook her head and turned to leave, "No, it's ok."

Eve avoided taking the back roads on the way back to Sakura's apartment. Even her aversion to crowds couldn't overshadow the fear of being attacked. It wasn't her own well being she was worried about, it was the villages. If Kira took things into her own hands then she wouldn't stop at taking out a criminal, she would take out all her pent up frustrations on the village and all the people that got on her nerves.

Immediately Lee came to mind. Kira had no problem making commotion whenever he was around, and during conversations she would call him a whole rainbow of names. Sometimes Kira was too disruptive for her own good. It was hard to keep a strait expression and not scold Kira for her language.

Not surprisingly, the apartment was empty when Eve arrived. She made herself comfortable on the livingroom floor and started going through the herbs. She sorted through them and laid them out so they could be dried.

Her mind wasn't on her work though. Eve's mind wondered and she found herself imagining the type of person that kills for pleasure. Kira almost fit the description, but there was a subtle difference between those who killed out malice and revenge and those who killed for pure pleasure. Rapists were usually the type that inflicted pain for pain's sake and to show dominance over someone else. Kira was slightly more complicated than that, but that didn't change the fact that she enjoyed killing and she liked the sight, smell and taste of blood.

Eve's stomach lurched again. She couldn't even think about blood without feeling sick. Yet another reason why being in the hospital didn't work for her. She was extremely lucky that not many people had the blood packs on their IV stands in the recovery wing. That type of thing was much more common in intensive care.

"_You realize that your fear is irrational. Blood won't hurt you."_

'_Forgive me if death doesn't thrill me like you...'_ Eve shot back bitterly. She just wasn't in the mood for Eve's snide remarks.

With a long sigh Eve realized that any shrink worth his title would commit her in an instant. Not many people had arguments inside their head with a separate consciousness. Kira was her own entity, a separate personality with _vastly_ different preferences.

"So, you're the girl from the hospital."

Eve quite literally jumped off her seat on the floor as she spun around. She was lost so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't hear someone walk up behind her. The pinkette stared in shock at the dark haired man behind her and he gave her a scrutinizing stare in return.

"W-who are you?" Eve tried taking a step backwards but her foot caught on her bag and she fell flat on her butt.

"Klutz," the raven haired man muttered.

Elbow's shaking, Eve inched herself a bit further back on the carpet until she was flat against the wall. After hearing what the receptionist said she was scared out of her wits. That woman said that the third victim was killed while she was alone in her apartment. That statement buzzed around Eve's skill like a million tiny bees. The man in front of her was intimidating to say the least, and he was a stranger, someone who just let himself into Sakura's apartment. He could have been anyone!

Eve's right fist clenched involuntarily.

'_Kira don't...'_

Her eyes narrowed.

'_Kira stop!'_

Her teeth clenched.

'_Kira!'_

"Sasuke, what is going on?" a voice came from the front door.

Eve blinked, _'Sakura-chan?'_

The medic-nin walked in with a small pile of envelopes in one hand and a coffee in the other. Sakura's eyes wondered between the dark haired man and Eve, "Sasuke, what are you doing?"

"I didn't do a thing," the raven haired man - Sasuke - stated simply, "I just asked walked in and she started having a panic attack."

"I told you she is afraid of people, Sasuke! Don't just walk in and scare her like that," scolded Sakura. "Eve, I apologize. This is Sasuke, my boyfriend, I should have come in to introduce him myself. I didn't think you'd start panicking so badly."

"S-Sakura-chan..." Eve whimpered in the realization that Kira had been so very close to taking charge of a misunderstanding.

Things could have gone very bad, very quickly. Kira could have killed Sakura's boyfriend and then Sakura right after. She would have carved a bloody path right through the heart of Konohagakure. Eve couldn't afford to give up control in such a populated area.

Sakura looked concerned, "Are you ok, Eve?"

Eve swallowed hard, "I-I'm fine ... I'm fine..."

"But you look so pale..."

"He took me by surprise," Eve mumbled, "I don't like surprises."

"Apparently not," Sasuke shrugged and walked back in the kitchen. "I'm going to make some tea."

"You could apologize," Sakura growled.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"It's fine, Sakura-chan. It wasn't his fault," Eve scrambled to her feet, "I just had something on my mind."

"Well, that was Uchiha Sasuke, he is a jounin too," Sakura began a proper introduction. "We've been dating for a while now, and he has his own key so he might let himself in once in a while. Don't worry about him, he isn't particularly talkative-"

"-I can hear you," Sasuke shot from the kitchen.

Sakura giggled, "He's nice once you get to know him. You'll see, he just isn't a very ... open person."

Eve glanced at Sasuke as he searched through the cupboards for the cups and packages of tea. He was a stony faced man, probably very no-nonsense, but still very hansom. His personality was very different from Sakura's, but they say opposites do attract. Sasuke was serious and somewhat cold, and Sakura was very warm and open.

"So, that did you do today, Eve?" asked Sakura, breaking the awkward silence.

"I brought you some herbs," Eve responded, "they're good for medicine."

Sakura grinned, "Thanks. Those will really come in handy."

"What did you do?" asked Eve even though she already knew the answer.

"Ug, we had a horrible day," Sakura sat down on the couch and let her head fall back, "Sasuke and I got pulled out of work to investigate another incident with that creep that is running loose. Another young girl our age was dumped behind some shops. He didn't even bother really trying to hide the body. I just tossed her in front of a bunch of trash cans so the store owners would find her when they took out the trash. The guy is baiting us! He is flaunting that he can do these things and disappear without so much as a trace, the bastard!"

"Calm down, Sakura," Sasuke walked in and took the empty love seat after setting three cups of tea on the coffee table. "You're not going to solve anything by being rash. If you try then you'll end up pulling stunts like Naruto."

Sakura grumbled in annoyance, "Not even the ANBU are getting anything. What the heck are they for if they can't catch one bastard on a killing spree? How many girls is this guy going to kill before they catch up with him?"

Sasuke smirked, "Don't say that around Neji."

"Oh, if he doesn't like it he can bite me," she growled stubbornly. "Some ANBU captain, and with the bayakugan too. You'd think someone on such a high horse would at least back up that superior attitude of his..."

Eve imagined the long haired Hyuga man with the pale eyes fighting Sakura. Although Sakura was a girl she was tough as nails and she had muscles in her arms that were unbelievable for a girl. Neji had an elegant, well bred, aura about him, but he was the type that would mean business when it came to fighting. Neji reminded Eve of Sasuke, they were both stony faced and cold...

"Drink your tea, Sakura," Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Ya, ya," Sakura mumbled into her tea bitterly.

Eve sipped at her cup quietly as the two talked. Sasuke wasn't much of a conversationalist, so Sakura did most of the talking, and it just worked for them. Eve's first evaluation was that they probably had a very good relationship. They knew each other well enough to have a conversation when one of them barely ever said a thing, and regardless of Sasuke's expression - or lack there of - he took a lot of things in good humor.

"Well, I'm beat, so I'm going to go to bed," Sakura announced after a couple hours of talking. "Do you mind locking the door when you leave, Sasuke?"

"Hn." The raven haired jounin responded dully.

Sakura gave him a quick kiss on the lips before heading to the washroom to get ready for bed.

Being alone with Sasuke was extremely awkward. It was a bit of an understatement, but there was no other way to describe it. You could have cut the tension with a knife. Eve fidgeted in her seat, wondering whether she should change for bed while Sasuke simply stared at her. He analyzed her, gave her a good once over, and it made Eve very self conscious. It was like he could see right through more than just the ribbon over her horns.

"_I don't like that guy..."_ Kira hissed.

Sasuke finally sighed and got to his feet, "I'm going now. You can relax."

Eve blinked, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not sure why you're apologizing," Sasuke stated flatly. He turned away from her, looking like he was heading for the door, when he stopped. "Can I ask you something?"

Eve's body went ridged, "S-sure..."

"That look in your eye before, when I first walked in, why did you look so..." Sasuke paused, "...angry?"

"Huh?"

"You had a strange expression on right after you fell over, and, to tell you the truth, it made me nervous. You looked like a different person. You looked bloodthirsty."

Sweating bullets, all Eve managed to stutter was, "I-I don't know what your talking about..."

Sasuke left after that without saying so much as goodbye. He didn't believe her but that was because Eve had always been a bad liar. Still, she couldn't help but wonder exactly how much he suspected her, and Kira couldn't help but curse the fact that she didn't get a shot at him.

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**I really should be studying for my exam, but I decided to quickly finish off this chapter first (I'm terrible). I decided to let Kira be a little more vocal in this chapter so you get an idea how she'll act when she's finally set loose upon the world. **

**Thanks for your reviews. I love them.**

**Starchip13**


	11. True Strength

1**Chapter #10**

**True Strength**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Now that all the introductions are out of the way I can finally move onto more interaction between Eve and Lee! Yays!**

**I also picked out some theme music that I made me think of the story:**

-Eve and Lee's theme - _Escape_ by Enrique Eglesias (hehe)

-Eve's Theme - _Melody_ from the Noir soundtrack

-Eve and Kira's theme - _Coppelia's Casket_ from the Noir soundtrack (them singing as a duet? Lol)

-Kira's theme - _Saving Me_ by nickelback (_spoiler:_ because Kira's past is actually kinda tragic) and _What have you done?_ by Within Temptation

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Eve frowned deeply at her thin limbs. Once upon a time she'd been filled out, she had curves, and she had a bit of muscle, but suddenly she was scrawny and gangly. Simple tasks like long walks or carrying groceries home were a nuisance because she tired out so easily. Sakura told her it was because of going without food for long amounts of time. All her extra fat and muscle was used up so she didn't have much left. Sakura told her that, with some exercise and proper food, she'd gain back the weight she'd lost, but it would take a little while. Her body still rejected heavy or rich foods and it was difficult to eat a lot in one sitting, but she was slowly improving. Eve's clothes were still rather loose and she needed a belt to keep them up, but there was already a little bit more weight in her hips and breasts. She was on her way to becoming healthy again.

'_Otou-san would be disappointed to see me in such a state,'_ Eve continued examining her arms, trying to determine whether or not any new muscle was showing. Deep down, she knew she shouldn't expect that a weak of doing chores would make a huge impact, but she'd hoped. Doing sit-ups and push-ups before bed helped a little, but she got tired out so quickly it hardly helped. Her stamina was shot, and that was what frustrated her the most.

Walking was her preferred method of exercise, but it was difficult. She didn't feel comfortable walking downtown and she didn't feel safe taking the less populated back roads since the news of the body dump behind that shop. Eve even started avoiding the training grounds since they were the most isolated area within the village boundaries.

Kira laughed at Eve's attempts to gain some muscle. She'd tease Eve by reminding her that she could become paralyzed from the waist down and it wouldn't make a difference. Diclonius were nearly impossible to cripple because of their abilities. Immobilizing them was extremely difficult.

One morning, Eve set out to buy some more small groceries like milk and bread, and she decided to challenge herself. She wanted to see if she could run all the way to the main street. All things considering, it wasn't a long run, but Eve still didn't make it anywhere near her goal. She reached the end of the street before stopping to suck in as much air as she possibly could. Running was never Eve's forte, but running that short distance never used to be so problematic.

"Damn it..." For the third day in a row, Eve ran to the end of the street, but couldn't push herself much further, "... I should be able to run further than this by now ..."

Eve found a semi-isolated park a couple blocks from Sakura's apartment. Every morning she challenged herself to run as far as she could without stopping, but there was so little improvement Eve wanted to cry. After only running a block or so she would use the last of her energy to walk to the park and sit on the bench until she wasn't so winded. There was usually some kids and their parents there, so she'd just watch them for a while before moving on to some other activity. Usually she found herself wondering around the neighborhood aimlessly for a few hours or picking something up in town for Sakura.

That morning was particularly quiet, there wasn't even much of a breeze, which was probably why Eve was able to catch the sound of steady footsteps just behind the line of trees where a path was. It was hard to see who it was because of the new spring foliage, but Eve was almost curtain she spotted orange leg warmers through the gaps in the bushes.

"Lee-kun?" Eve whispered to herself.

Eve jogged over to the edge of the line of trees and peered through them. Of course it was Lee, no one else would train so obsessively.

The green clad shinobi must have heard her because he paused in the middle of running long enough to glance behind him and see the pinkette gazing at him.

Lee waved cheerfully, "Good morning, Eve-chan!"

"Morning," Eve responded shyly, "Are you training again, Lee-kun?"

"Of course, I am actually on my last lap around Konoha. Just a short while more and I will stop and eat a brief breakfast." Lee paused with a smile, "Would you like to accompany me? I was going to go into town to eat."

"Oh ... I, um, don't think I could..."

"Nonsense, you must join me for breakfast, Eve-chan."

Eve turned red, "No ... I mean I can't _run_ with you..."

Lee looked clueless for a moment before it dawned on him, "Oh yes, Sakura-chan mentioned that it would take a while for your strength to return. I almost forgot."

Eve looked at the ground. She knew he must have though she was pathetic. She was too weak to run with him.

"We will just have to make our pace slow then!" Lee declared with pride. He jumped forward and grabbed Eve by the wrist and took her along with him before she could protest.

At first, all Eve did was trip over herself. Apparently they were supposed to be taking it slow, but Eve was still having such a hard time keeping up that Lee had to continually slow his speed to match hers. Eve felt a pang of guilt every time she noticed his strides decrease because she knew that Lee was just itching to go faster, but Lee never said a word about it. He never once said she was too slow for him or tell her that she needed to speed up. Lee did exactly the opposite, he started praising her. He noted that she had excellent form for running and that she was very graceful, especially for someone who was technically still recovering from a long stay in the hospital. Eve couldn't even remember the last time she'd met someone so unbelievably _nice_.

The moment they reached the main street, Lee slowed down their pace to a walk. Even when they _finally_ made it to the street he didn't look phased by the fact that Eve was so incredibly out of shape it wasn't even funny. He just continued smiling and talking in a friendly manner instead of commenting on the fact that he could have made the run in less than a quarter of the time.

"Are you well, Eve-chan? You look very red."

Eve gasped for air. With Lee more or less dragging her the entire way she had been forced to run four times longer than she could before, but as a nasty side affect she was so out of breath that she couldn't form a sentence.

It was incredibly embarrassing for Eve, but Lee continued to be oblivious.

"You just have to set a goal and strive for it like nothing else exists," Lee explained.

They'd arrived at a tiny café and taken one of the available tables to relax before ordering anything. Eve needed the rest far more than Lee.

"With enough hard work, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to," he continued, "and you're off to a good start. It can not be easy after being in the hospital."

That was an understatement.

"Why do you train so much more than the others?" asked Eve once regained the ability to talk, "Every time I meet you, you're practicing or training. You're training schedule dwarfs all the other shinobi to the point where it almost seems insane."

Lee just smiled and said, "Like I said, hard work is the key to becoming strong. I must strive many times harder to reach my goals than the others. Even when I was young I was constantly at a disadvantage to my peers."

"Why is that?"

"Because I am unable to use chakra," Lee admitted. "No one was ever able to figure out why, but I was never able to summon chakra necessary for jutsu. Therefore I am unable to perform any ninjutsu or genjutsu, which means that taijutsu is all I have."

Eve's jaw gaped at the man before her. He was a jounin, an elite shinobi, and he wasn't able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu? The structure of shinobi ranks and how their skills worked was explained to Eve in the past, so she understood exactly how insanely hard it would be to become a high ranking ninja without chakra. When she saw Lee and Gai sparing in the woods she assumed a large portion of their super strength was contributed by chakra, but that was not the case. It was pure physical strength, nothing else, which was nothing short of unbelievable.

"That is amazing!" Eve blurted, catching Lee of guard, "You're this strong and you never use chakra? I've never seen anything like it. You're the strongest shinobi I've ever met."

It was Lee's turn to be taken back. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "You think so?"

"Otou-san always admired the art of shinobi, but he could never be one, so he would travel for miles to watch chunin exams. He loved it, and even practiced a bit himself. Otou-san wanted to train me, but ... I just couldn't fight." Eve bit her lip, she'd never talked to anyone about her past before. It felt so strange but Eve still felt like she could tell Lee. "I am also unable to use chakra, so when you look at it, I am not cut out for it."

"You can't use chakra either?" Lee asked in astonishment.

Eve nodded, "I don't know _exactly_ why not, but it has something to do with my genetics. It makes me physically incapable of using chakra."

"You still could use taijutsu, could you not?"

"To an extent," Eve paused and sighed, "but I don't have the heart for it. Look at me, Lee-kun. Could you ever see me succeeding in battle?"

When Lee thought about it, he really couldn't imagine Eve ever truly mastering taijutsu. It wasn't just the fact that her build was far to slight for powerful moves either, it was her personality. Lee couldn't picture her being able to throw a punch and actually mean it because it just wasn't who she was.

Eve rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and mumbled, "I am - what would you call it? - spineless."

"No, that is not what I would call it at all. I would say you are..." Lee paused for a moment to think, "...gentle. You would not have the heart to hurt someone because you are a genuinely good person on the inside."

It was a rare occasion when Eve got a compliment. Lee's statement triggered and involuntary blush.

'_He thinks...'_ Eve stared at the smiling bowl cut ninja, _'I'm a good person...?'_

"You give me too much credit," Eve responded quietly. "I can't throw a punch because I am hematophobic. I have a terrible fear of blood."

"Can I take your order?" a waitress walked up to their table and greeted them warmly.

"Eggs and toast, please," Lee responded. He turned back to Eve, "What did you want?"

"Just water," answered Eve.

Lee shook his head, "You should have a proper breakfast, especially after that run. Order some food."

Eve's gaze dropped to the table, "I used the money from selling my herbs for groceries. I don't have any left right now..."

"Then it will be my treat," he stated, "Please, order whatever you like."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Eve shook her head rapidly.

"Why not? I offered, so I do not mind."

"It wouldn't be right. You barely know me," Eve kept her gaze glued to the table, "so why would you offer to buy me breakfast?"

"We have a fruit salad special today that is rather good," the waitress added.

"Why not order some of that?" suggested Lee.

Eve sighed, "Ok, I'll have some fruit salad, please."

The waitress scurried off to place the order with the cook and left Lee and Eve with their privacy.

"You didn't have to do that..." Eve mumbled again. "You shouldn't have to pay for a stranger's meal."

"Well, I do not consider you a stranger, Eve-chan," the bowl cut ninja smiled at her again, "I consider you a friend."

"Huh?" was all Eve could utter. Lee was so unusual, and Eve could not figure out why he was being so incredibly nice to her.

Lee tilted his head a little, "Have you never met someone who wished to be your friend simply because they want to?"

"No," Eve answered honestly. "As a child, others thought I was strange. Even the parents thought I was weird."

"Why is that?" Lee looked genuinely surprised by the statement.

"_Meddling son of a-"_

Eve's jaw clicked shut. There were just some things she did not feel comfortable even thinking about. Like the fact that the reason other children rejected her was because in those days she was generally an emotional void, and the parents found her bizarre because she was not child-like at all. She was just a quiet girl who could barely knew how to speak because she'd been so severely isolated in her past. Eve was the lonely child who never laughed or cried in front of anyone.

Lee watched Eve's expression change from confusion to sadness. He wasn't stupid, he sensed he'd hit a sore spot, "If you do not want to talk about it then you do not have to. I was simply curious. You are quite the mystery, Eve-chan."

Once their food arrived Eve used it as an excuse to not talk. The more food she kept shoveling in her mouth, the less she would have to talk. The less she had to talk, the less she had to think about things that happened years ago. She wanted to keep the past in the past where it belonged. Eve wanted nothing more than to move on.

Before she realized it, Eve was staring at her empty plate while Lee was only half finished his breakfast. There was nothing left for her to do but sit across from Lee awkwardly and watch him finish eating.

"Were you going to do anything important today, Eve-chan?" he asked between bites of his eggs.

Eve shook her head.

"Then would you like to accompany me to the training grounds? It is my day off so I am going to train, and I would love some company. It would be nice to have someone to talk to," said Lee.

"You wouldn't mind having me tag along?" Eve asked in astonishment. She assumed that Eve was just in the way when it came to serious jounin level training.

Lee beamed, "Not at all. I told you, I think of you as a friend, Eve-chan."

Eve's heart fluttered, _'A friend ... my first friend...'_

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'_Horns ... horns...'_ Sakura flipped idly through a thick medical book during her break at the library.

Being a medical jounin, she had access to large numbers of restricted records than anyone else in the village. Among the lists of antidotes there were also long lists of disease that caused birth defects. There were lots of gruesome deformities, but none of them mentioned the carriers having horns.

Out of habit, Sakura bit her nail as she thought, _'If it isn't a birth defect or a side affect from a disease then maybe it is a genetic disorder...'_

Of course, Sakura's research on her house guest started weeks before, but with all the chaos surrounding the serial rapist in Konoha her research went on temporary hiatus. Since then she only got the chance to look some things up quickly if she was at the library, and so far she wasn't finding anything remotely close to what she was looking for. As far as Sakura could tell, Eve was an anomaly, a one in a billion chance type of birth defect or genetic disorder. Eve being a an very new or an extremely rare case was the only way to explain Konoha not having a shred of documentation similar to her condition.

Sakura sighed, after such long periods of not fruitless labor she wasn't sure exactly why she bothered anymore. It was only a morbid curiosity that tempted her to pull out medical journals to search for anything matching Eve's symptoms. If it was indeed a rare genetic disorder then there would be nothing Sakura could do for Eve regardless whether she understood it or not. Genetics are genetics, plain and simple, messing with them could mean Eve's life which would defeat the purpose of all the time and effort Sakura was putting into research. A cure was not an intention, it was simply knowing for the sake of understanding.

'_Judging by her fear of people seeing her horns, they are the reason she is so afraid of people,'_ Sakura thought glumly.

Sakura thought back to the examinations at the hospital and recalled seeing a few faded scars on Eve's abdomen. They could only have been surgical scars because of their placement and the smooth incisions, but they were also remarkably well healed so they were hard to spot. Never in her life had she ever seen a patient with such modest scaring after so many surgeries.

'_But the million dollar question is: What was she having surgery for?'_ Sakura thought for a while that maybe someone was trying to find a cure, but if that was reason then why was Eve on the run?

The medic-nin's heart sunk in her chest when she realized the theory she'd been skirting around for weeks, _'Maybe the people who gave Eve those scars weren't trying to cure her at all. Maybe she was simply a test subject...'_

"Sakura."

Sakura jumped out of her skin. She was so distracted at the time that she didn't hear Sasuke walk up behind her.

The medic-nin held her hand to her fluttering chest, "You scared me, Sasuke."

"Getting so distracted isn't a very good idea, Sakura," reminded Sasuke, "I'd hate to see anything happen to you."

"I don't think much is going to happen to me in the library," sighed Sakura, she instinctively shoved the medical journal aside so Sasuke would not be able to see what she was researching. "Is it the end of my shift already?"

Sasuke nodded, "I thought I'd walk you home. I didn't want anything to happen to you if you took your little shortcut alone so late."

"It's only 7:30," protested Sakura, "and you know there is no need. That freak only targets civilians, not one victim has been a kunoichi. The coward picks women when they're alone and only ones that he knows don't have a real chance of fighting back."

"Weren't you the one that used to jump at the chance to have me walk her home?"

"There is a difference between romance and paranoia, Sasuke."

"Some people might calling simply being protective."

"Same difference," Sakura shrugged as she got up from her chair and stretched the kinks out of her muscles. "Let's just get going. Eve and I were going to make tacos for supper tonight."

The two exited the building when Sasuke said, "I also wanted to talk to you about something, Sakura. It is about that girl you are letting live at your apartment."

"What about her?" asked Sakura, hardly paying attention to Sasuke's serious tone.

"Something about her expression when I saw her a few nights ago bothered me. The girl tripped over herself and at first she looked terrified, but then something changed about her eyes. They suddenly looked so different, they were darker and crueler..." Sasuke trailed off as he glanced at Sakura. "I know you're a good person, and you can't help but care about your patients, but letting a strange girl live in your home is a bit much. You have no idea where she came from."

"Presumably, a hospital or some kind testing facility," Sakura stated simply.

Sasuke gave a curious sideways glance.

"I've been trying to piece it together, but here is what I've come up with so far..." Sakura paused before continuing, "Eve has all the classic symptoms of child abuse. She has a fear of people – men especially if that wasn't obvious – as well as a very low self-esteem and a fear of blood and violence. I also noticed several surgical scars on her while she was in the hospital, which brings me to mention her serious aversion to hospitals to begin with. I may be right or I may be totally off, but it all points to something traumatic."

Sasuke's expression hardened, "While I was with Orochimaru I saw a lot of human experimentation, and if what you're thinking is true then you can't even guess what that girl is capable of. Don't you think it is strange that so many murders have happened the moment she arrives in the village?"

"Eve was in the hospital when a couple of them happened!"

"Do you think someone who is deterred by a locked door is capable of murder?"

"She wasn't physically capable of walking down a flight of stairs at the time!"

"That is irrelevant. When chakra is a factor she could pull off anything."

Sakura sighed and leaned against Sasuke's shoulder, "Sasuke, I love you, but you need to put a little faith in people. Can you not take my word for it when I say Eve is not capable of hurting anyone."

The Uchiha prodigy gave a soft grunt as they headed towards the training grounds. It was the fastest way from the library to Sakura's apartment building.

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"Favourite junk food?" asked Lee.

"Caramel toffies," Eve replied.

"Really? I would have thought you to be the chocolate type..."

Eve shook her head, "Chocolate is fine in moderation, but caramels have always been my weakness. I remember when Otou-san bought me my first batch of caramel toffies. There was a vendor near where we lived that made them from scratch at his house, so he would go out once in a while and buy me a small bag of them. He'd let me eat as many as I wanted so long as I didn't get all sticky."

Lee chuckled which made Eve smile. She has to look down to watch Lee continue his push-ups. Lee insisted that he needed a challenge so he asked Eve to sit on his back while he did push-ups. Eve was hesitant at first, worrying Lee might over do it and collapse like he did on the trail when she first met him, but Lee insisted that she was far lighter than the weights he used regularly on his legs. After that Eve didn't ask questions, she didn't even want to know exactly how heavy the weights under his orange leg warmers were.

Grunting with the strain, Lee asked, "Are you sure you're keeping track of my push-ups, Eve-chan?"

"Nine hundred and ninety-four," Eve answered absently. "Don't worry, I'm a good multitasker."

"That is quite a talent."

"Not really, with practice anyone could keep count while doing other tasks. You just have to establish a rhythm," Eve explained, "and up here I can keep time pretty well."

The constant motion, up and down, made it easy for Eve to keep track of Lee's push-ups while having a conversation. Even when Lee's pace started lagging a bit, Eve could keep track for him so she could distract him from his exercises. The time went by faster that way.

"You're almost finished, Lee-kun, just a few more," Eve announced. At first she thought Lee was crazy to say he would do one thousand push-ups, but all doubt started disappearing soon after reaching the five hundred mark. "You are going to sleep well after this."

Lee grunted, pushing himself as hard as he could to finish the last six push-ups, "I should hope so. I sometimes fall asleep in my clothes because I am simply too tired."

"But you have amazing stamina, Lee-kun. It is unbelievable..." Eve was sitting cross-legged on Lee's back so she rested her elbow on her been and her chin on her hand. "Three more and you're done."

"I can do it," Lee told himself determinedly as he finished another push-up.

The last two push-ups were extremely strained, and sweat began dripping off Lee's face and soaking the ground.

"Do you need me to get off...?" Eve asked unsurely.

"Not ... at ... all," Lee panted. "Last ... one..."

Lee lowered his body and shakily pushed himself back up again until his elbows locked.

"One thou_saaaannnddd_–" Eve was cut off in mid-cheer when Lee suddenly collapsed underneath her from exhaustion. She jumped off his back the second he hit the ground, fearing she might made his breathing too difficult.

The green clad ninja rested on the ground, lying on his stomach, and just concentrated on breathing.

Eve fidgeted nervously, "Lee-kun, a-are you ok?!"

"I'm ... fine..." he responded through gasps of air. "Just ... need ... short ... rest..."

"Let me help you up," insisted Eve. She wasn't physically strong in any sense, but she could at least help Lee roll over and sit up. Once he'd gotten some wind back in him he scooted himself off to the nearest tree and leaned against it gratefully.

The bowl-cut ninja smiled, "There is no better feeling than knowing you have successfully finished a full day of training. To be honest, it normally takes me much long to finish that many push-ups. I think it was because I never had someone to talk to and make the time go by faster. I almost forgot how tired I was right until the very end..."

"You give me too much credit. I just sat on your back and kept count."

"But you are also a good person to talk to when you open up. When I first met you, you would not talk to a single person, remember?"

Eve nodded. Normally she wasn't such a talkative person, but Lee was also a very good person to talk to. He listened, and he didn't ask questions that he knew Eve did not want to answer. If she ever talked about her father to anyone else they would ask 'If you had it so good, why are you not still with him?' and some memories were better left untouched. It was better to remember the times she was genuinely happy, no matter how few there were.

"Your hands are bleeding," Eve noted.

Lee looked half heartedly at bandages on his hands. The were stained red-pink from blood and green from the grass. He'd need to change them as soon as he got home or risk and infection.

"Hold on a second," Eve made a quick motion for Lee to stay while she momentarily disappeared behind some trees. When she returned she had a few different plants in her hand for Lee. She sat back down next to Lee and timidly offered them to him.

Lee held up his hands and smiled sheepishly, "Would you mind terribly if I asked you to remove the bandages? I have extra bandages in my front vest pocket. I'd do it myself, but I can't move my hands ... I can't even feel my fingers."

"Hai," Eve nodded. For the first time in a while she found herself blushing.

The bandages came off easy from all the day's wear and tare to reveal Lee's heavily calloused and bloody hands. There were open blisters lining his palms in the places where there would have been any normal skin. They were exactly the same as the day when Eve tried to change his bandages while he was passed out on the trail.

"You should take better care of your hands, Lee-kun," Eve said as she applied some of the herbs. "Even getting an aloe plant in your apartment would help."

No response.

Eve waved her hand in front of Lee's face but his only response was loud snoring sounds.

'_He passed out again...'_ thought Eve with a sigh. She shook Lee's shoulder lightly, "Lee-kun, wake up. You can't sleep out here or you'll get sick."

"You might as well give up," Sakura called just before she walked into the clearing with her boyfriend. "Lee is the deepest sleeper I know. You could set off an air horn by his face and it won't bother him."

Eve jumped to her feet, "Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Heading home," she answered with a shrug, "but it looks like we're going to have to take Lee-kun home first."

Sasuke groaned in annoyance, "How about we don't and say we did?"

"No, we shouldn't leave him out here," Eve protested, "I'd do it myself but I'm not strong enough."

Sasuke put one of Lee's arms over his shoulder and hoisted him up, "Damn, isn't this usually Neji's job?"

"Let's just get going. The faster we get Lee back to his apartment, the faster we can start cooking dinner," laughed Sakura.

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**I figured I better get as much writing done as I possibly can before the second semester homework starts kicking in. Plus I just felt like writing so I am just going with it (yay for random spells of inspiration!!!)**

**Oh ya, I also created some kick ass art for the story. It is a picture of Eve, so check it out and tell me what ya think!! **http:// starchip13. deviantart. com/ art/ Broken- Mirror- Eve- and- Kira- 76030523 **(Just take out the spaces)**

**Starchip13**


	12. Please, Don't Cry

1**Chapter #11**

**Please, Don't Cry**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"Are you sure he is really asleep?" asked Eve. "It looks like he is almost walking on his own."

"He does that in his sleep sometimes. It is nothing out of the ordinary," Sasuke answered dully. After Lee was hauled onto his feet Sasuke barely had to support his weight, he only kept Lee's arm slung over his shoulder incase he started to stagger – which he did on occasion. "It is all that insane training he and Gai do. Naruto and I saw them running a marathon across the countryside, they were out there for a few days at least, and by the end of it they were running in their sleep. They train their bodies to keep going while the mind continues sleeping. It is called muscle memory."

Eve's eyes widened, "That is amazing."

Sasuke snorted, "No, it's self-destructive. Both the mind and body have to rest to regain strength so using muscle memory has its drawbacks. If you do it for too long it can be fatal – though Lee and Gai know their limits – and there are _other_ annoying quirks that come along with muscle memory as well."

"Like what?" Eve was almost afraid to ask because if Sasuke's annoyed expression - meanwhile Sakura was snickering.

"He fights in his sleep!" growled Sasuke in agitation. "Naruto, Lee, Neji and I were on a mission a few years back when I found that out. We had to make camp for a night, and when I was just about to fall asleep – despite Lee's damn snoring – he suddenly jumps out of his sleeping bag and trashes the tent! Then – after scrambling around trying to find our way out of a broken tent – we had to run after Lee and drag him back to camp!"

Sakura was no longer trying to stifle her laughter, she was outright in stitches, "The three of you came back with all those bruises! I almost didn't believe my eyes!

"I would love to see you deal with him," brooded Sasuke.

Even Eve started giggling. Sasuke was a scary person, but even she had to admit it was funny to see him so riled up over something that must have happened years ago. She also imagined Lee running around in the middle of the night trying to fight dream ninja. Eve heard about people that sleepwalked, but never of people who sleep-fought.

On top of everything else, it was just downright hilarious to watch Sasuke try and keep Lee going on the right track. Anyone out for a walk would give the two men strange glances because – to anyone else – Lee probably appeared drunk. His muscles were still fatigued from all his training so once in a while his knees would give out and Sasuke would have to catch his weight and get Lee back on his feet again. Eve was almost worried Sasuke would not be able to handle Lee's sporadic collapsing because Lee was the taller of the two – by about a head – but Sasuke was also remarkably strong. He was also getting very annoyed.

Lee's apartment wasn't all that far from Sakura's. It just took twice as long to get there because of all the dead weight Sasuke constantly had to carry. When they arrived Sakura finally fished a small key ring out of one of Lee's vest pockets and opened the door to the dark apartment. It didn't stay dark for long though because Sakura knew exactly where the light switches were.

"Have you done this before?" asked Eve as she watched Sakura and Sasuke move around the house with apparent familiarity.

The medic-nin shrugged, "A couple times. This is not the first time Lee has passed out after his training. He mostly does this on his days off, which he doesn't like to take very often. Usually Gai or Neji do this."

It made sense. They were his teammates after all.

"He owes me one for this," Sasuke grunted, leading Lee through the living room and to the door that Eve presumed was his bedroom.

The tiny apartment was remarkably clean for a bachelor pad. In Eve's experience, men generally had a little clutter to give it the lived in feel, but apart from a couple unwashed dishes in the sink and some bright orange leg warmers that didn't quite make it into the hamper the apartment was very tidy. Eve assumed it was because of Lee and Gai's obsession over youth. Having a messy apartment with a mountain of unwashed plates and laundry didn't exactly scream youthful.

Before Sasuke shoved Lee onto the bed Eve removed Lee's chunin vest so he would be more comfortable. Once Sasuke gave Lee a good shove onto his bed Sakura quickly removed his shoes. Lee curled up on his bed like a child and didn't move a muscle afterward.

Eve glanced around the room curiously, "How come he has so many dents on the wall next to his bed?"

"He kicks in his sleep too," added Sasuke with a grunt of annoyance.

"Come on, Lee will wake up the same time every morning. He'll be fine now," Sakura took Eve by the hand and led her out of the apartment, shutting lights back off as she went.

Sakura locked the door behind them before slipping Lee's house key back through the mail slot.

Sasuke walked the girls back to Sakura's apartment where they made quick work of pulling their late supper together. Sakura was in a good mood for such a long day at work, so it was yet another night of mostly one sided conversations.

"...Lee's a funny guy, but he's also really sweet," Sakura smiled at her recollection of her past, "You can guess that even from spending a little bit of time with him. It certainly took me a while to get past the strange behavior..."

Eve listened intently to Sakura while nibbling on her taco, "What did you think when you first met him?"

"Well, we were still genin back then and we were going to the chunin exams for the second time. We were trying to get in the exam room but there were some bullies blocking the way and I saw this kid in spandex getting push around..."

It was tough for Eve to imagine Lee being pushed around. No one but a jounin or higher would probably be able to keep up with him, let alone land a blow.

"...but as it turned out the punks put a genjutsu on the lot of us. Right after that was resolved Neji and Sasuke nearly got into a little scuffle that Lee had to break up. He stopped both their blows so easily that we all just assumed he had good chakra control in his arms." Sakura suddenly looked a little sad, "Then he asked me to be his girlfriend, right there on the spot. I was so taken back by his bizarre appearance that I shot him down cold. When I think back, I really did hurt his feelings. I wish I'd been a little more sensitive."

For some reason Eve felt uncomfortable hearing about how Lee asked Sakura out the moment they met. She could already picture Lee declaring love at first sight and trying to woo the girl of his dreams.

Sakura was a pretty girl. She took excellent care of her bubble gum pink hair and she had the most vivid green eyes Eve ever saw in her life. Eve never liked what she saw in the mirror. At that point, Eve saw herself as too thin, too meek and if it weren't for her own head of pink hair – more on the red side than Sakura's was – she would be painfully dull looking. Her eyes weren't especially outstanding – only being a few shades short of brown – and she didn't have much in way of curves. Nothing special, save for the horns.

The medic-nin continued, "When Sasuke and I finally started dating Lee would pretend to act all happy, but something was always off ... he always acted _overly_ cheery, even for Lee standards. I felt terrible, but I just don't think of Lee-kun as anything more than a friend, you know?"

Eve shook her head, "No, I do not."

"Really?" asked Sakura in surprise.

"I've never 'liked' anyone like the way you describe it." Eve shrugged, "I don't even know what that would feel like."

Sakura bit her lip in thought for a minute, "Well, when you like someone in that way you tend to think about them a lot for one thing. You admire them for all their good qualities and you accept their faults. They're the person you want to be around more than anyone and you would do anything to see them happy. Just being near them makes you nervous and you get all tingly inside."

And Sakura was off in her fantasies of Sasuke... This left Eve to ponder what Sakura explained to her.

Living with her father as a child, Eve never had the benefit of a mother's touch or a female perspective on things. Well, there was Kira, but her opinion was hardly useful in most social situations. So Eve was left in the dust when it came to knowing how to talk and act around people.

But what Sakura said was helping Eve put two and two together. The more she got to know Lee, the more she enjoyed his company. She trusted him, which was saying a lot for Eve. He was so kind and the most nonjudgmental person Eve ever met, and when it came to someone like Eve, even normally kind people turned violent around her sometimes.

Sakura was one of the few that didn't, but that was because she was looking at it from a medic's perspective. To Sakura, Eve had some kind of disease or genetic glitch, but what if Eve was given a CAT scan the extent of her genetic disease would be put into perspective.

"_Don't you even _think _it, Eve. Eventually they all turn on us. That pink haired chick is too nosey for her own good and she is going to find out eventually. What will happen then?"_

Eve bit her lip, _'Otou-san never left us.'_

"_Pft."_ Kira huffed bitterly, _"The old man isn't around anywhere anymore, is he now? Do you remember why? Let's suspend reality for just a minute and say Bushy Brow actually accepts what you are and returns this cute little crush of yours – unlikely since he's pining after Sakura. Do you really want the same thing to happen to him?"_

'_No...'_ Eve frowned, _'...I don't want Lee-kun to get hurt, but I don't want to leave this place either...'_

Kira sighed deeply, _"Do us both a favor if you do. Forget about caterpillar brow, don't kid yourself into pursuing something that is only going to hurt the both of you. I don't want to be part of this stupid soap opera."_

"Are you ok, Eve-chan?" piped Sakura.

"I'm fine," Eve lied, "just tired. I am going to bed, Sakura-chan."

Sakura wasn't believing her for a second, "You look like you're about to cry. Are you sure you're ok?"

Eve nodded and went to bed, "Goodnight, Sakura-chan."

"Ok," Sakura responded unsurely, "You're on your own for breakfast tomorrow, by the way. I have an early shift."

"No problem, I have plans as well," stated Eve. _'I want to help Lee-kun, and I want to be friends, but only so long as it won't hurt him. If that happens, I promise, Kira, we'll leave.'_

"_Do you realize you are bordering on masochism?" _

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_Lee's Dream_

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_**Lee was back in his academy days. Back in the days when he heard his peers' cruel words on a daily basis and he was called 'hot blooded' and 'Dork Lee'. It figured though, an aspiring ninja who couldn't even master ninjutsu or genjutsu was bound to be an outcast. **_

_**Sakura was there too, and she was just as beautiful as a young girl as she was as an adult. She was so shy too, blushing constantly and tripping over her own feet. Lee couldn't help but think about how cute she was. How gorgeous her green eyes were and how beautiful her bubble gum pink hair was...**_

_**Young Lee wanted to walk up to her and tell her how he felt, but some cruel part of his mind kept replaying her voice in his head, "Uh, no! Just look at your haircut and that outfit, and just look at your eyebrows! You're so weird!"**_

_**Despite her hurtful words, Lee could not ignore his feelings for her. Regardless of what his mind kept telling him, Lee found the courage to walk up to the girl he loved and tell her how he felt. He had bravery, especially since he was the outcast of the academy. **_

_**Lee placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, "Excuse me, Sakura-chan..."**_

_**The pinkette turned around, but it was not Sakura. The girl's eyes were amber, not green, and they were much larger. Her body was thin and wiry, coupled with her pale skin and boney limbs she almost looked like a ghost. Both her clothes and her face were smeared with dirt and something else, something much darker and deep crimson, they were bloodstains. **_

_**Lee gasped. **_

_**The pink haired girl smiled at him, but her eyes still made her look close to tears, "Gomenasai, Lee-kun..."**_

_**To Lee's amazement, the two of them grew to their normal adult selves before his eyes. **_

_**Eve was still staring up at Lee with those same sad amber eyes but her ratty bloodstained outfit morphed into a long white hospital gown, not unlike the one she wore during her hospitalization in Konoha. Her suddenly bare arms were covered in faded scars that started reverting back to wounds before Lee's very eyes. They turned pink before the scars started reappearing on her skin, and then through the dark blotchy scabs blood began bubbling through and slowly dripping down her arms. The blood trailed down her arms and her bruise blackened wrists before dripping slowly off the tips of her fingers. **_

_**Tears formed in the corners of Eve's eyes but she dare not wipe them away for fear that she would smear the blood all over her face. Her lips trembled and she choked back a sob, "They won't leave me alone, Lee-kun! They keep following me! They want to hurt me..."**_

"_**Eve-chan," Lee reached out to touch her but hesitated, "Who is doing this to you?"**_

"_**It hurts, it hurts so much, Lee-kun..." Tears rolled freely down Eve's cheeks, over newly formed bruises. A dark ring of bruises started forming around her right eye and tiny cuts formed on her cheeks as well. **_

_**Lee's heart wrenched, seeing such pain in an innocent girl's eyes. Eve looked more frail that the night he first met her. **_

_**Eve turned to run. Lee tried to stop her but he was a little to late and only the tips of her long pink hair grazed his fingertips. **_

"_**Eve-chan, please wait!" Lee took off after her, but for some reason he just couldn't keep up. Eve's feet were barely even touching the ground, it was as though she was gliding along the ground. **_

_**The shadows came alive around them. Moving away from their places around buildings, trees and even people. They followed closely on Eve's heals causing her to quicken her pace in an attempt to escape. The increased speed caused Lee to fall even more behind, but he continued pushing himself, determined not to be left behind. **_

_**Hands leapt from the shadows, connected to the ground by long winding arms. They shot up from under Eve, capturing her wrists and then her ankles. Eve struggled pathetically against the binds that held her as her strength began to fail her. She no longer had the strength to fight them and it showed in the look of defeat reflected in her watery eyes. **_

_**Lee pushed himself to keep up, "Eve-chan, don not give up! Keep fighting! I am coming and I am going to help you! I beg you, don not give up!"**_

_**Eve glanced over her shoulder to Lee and gave him a sad smile with the tears still flowing down her cheeks, "Gomenasai..."**_

_**The shadows consumed her, and Lee arrived only a moment to late to grasp her hand to pull her to safety...**_

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_End Dream_

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There was another dent in the wall by Lee's bed that morning. It had been a long time since Lee hit it hard enough to draw blood, but after that dream he was not the least bit surprised.

Lee nursed his injured knuckles as crimson blood seeped through the bandages. Perfect, that was all he needed after training enough to open up new blisters across his palms. They were still stiff too, so changing them would be a chore.

'_I'll have to run extra laps to make up for not doing push-ups,'_ thought Lee. He wanted to give them a chance to heal enough that they wouldn't be crippled for weeks. Lee couldn't afford that as a ninja who could be sent off on a mission at any moment.

"Eve-chan..." Lee groaned. Flashes of his dream tormented him. The blood, the pain, and Eve simply disappearing into the darkness. He could still feel his heart aching from watching her simply give in to her fate. He couldn't stop wondering why she didn't but up a fight after the shadows grabbed hold of her and why she would not let him help her. They were supposed to be friends.

The bowl cut ninja sighed, _'Calm down, it was merely a dream. Nothing more. Eve is probably eating breakfast with Sakura as I lie here...'_

Knock. Knock.

Lee pushed himself up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. With a yawn he shuffled across his room, out into the hallway and through the livingroom where the front door was. Opening the door was the hardest part because his fingers were so stiff that he might as well have had wooden hands.

It must have been fate. That was how Lee imagined Neji would describe it. How else would the girl who graced Lee's dream with her presence have shown up not ten minutes after Lee woke up. She wasn't wearing a hospital gown or bloodstained clothes, she was wearing one of Sakura's sun dresses, and she gazing up at him shyly with a medical kit in her hands.

"Good morning, Lee-kun," Eve bowed her head a little like she usually she when she spoke to someone, "I hope I didn't wake you..."

"Not at all," Lee stepped aside to allow her into his home, "Please, come in, Eve-chan."

"I thought I would check up on you, and maybe change your bandages," Eve said timidly.

Lee blinked, "Was it you who brought me home last night?"

"Sasuke and Sakura did most of the work," she confessed. "I just didn't want to leave you alone in the woods. I know how unpleasant that can be. I camped out on my own for years."

"Why did you not seek out someone to have as a friend?"

Eve's eyes started looking a little sad, "There is little place in this world for someone like me, Lee-kun. Unfortunately for me, I tend to bring misfortune wherever I go."

"That cannot be true," insisted Lee, "because I believe I am very fortunate to have met you, Eve-chan! Please, do not think any differently!"

The pinkette blinked in surprise at Lee's insistent tone, but smiled at him none the less. Eve had a face made to smile, and when she finally, genuinely, smiled at Lee he found his heart beating a little harder than normal.

"I wish there were more people like you in the world, Lee-kun," Eve said as they walked into the kitchen. "It would make it very ... youthful."

An involuntary grin spread across Lee's face. It was not often that a pretty girl would compliment him so much and even rarer for _anyone_ to use his favourite term.

Eve walked over to the kitchen sink, motioning for Lee to follow and hold out his hands, "I'll be quick with the bandages so I won't delay your training schedule. I brought an ointment for your blisters this time so it should help you regain movement in your fingers again. The herbs I needed were finally dry enough to powder and make it."

"Where did you learn all these things?" asked Lee.

Lee watched Eve gently undo his bandages and glance disapprovingly at his injured knuckles.

"I am not the most coordinated person in the world ... so Otou-san taught me ways to naturally help reduce scars and improve my healing. He taught me a lot of things..." Eve smiled sadly. "...It is hard without him ... How close were you to your parents, Lee-kun?"

"I loved them dearly. They were marvelous ninja which was how I was first inspired to enroll in the academy..."

Eve wasn't dumb, she picked up on the distinct use of the past tense, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"

"–Please do not worry about it," insisted Lee. "Both my mother and father were splendid ninja. Mother was a Jounin who specialized in training genin and Father was an ANBU. They were both killed in action when I was very young, before I started my academy training, but I know they still care very deeply for me as well. They were very honorable people and I am proud to be their son."

Eve's eyes glistened, catching Lee a little off guard. Sections of his dream started replaying once again on a loop.

"Do not cry, Eve-chan!" begged Lee. "I am sorry I upset you!"

"You didn't upset me, Lee-kun. I am just easy to cry, or so I am told..." Eve bit her lip, "...Otou-san and I got separated, and I don't know if he is alive or dead. I sincerely hope he is alright, but it was my fault we got separated and I am afraid he will be angry with me..."

Lee gulped, trying to stifle a blush – why was he blushing? – as he rested his hand on Eve's shoulder, "I am sure he is searching for you and he is just as worried about you as you are about him. I would not give up searching if I were him."

Eve's cheeks turned scarlet.

The looked away from one another awkwardly.

"You're too kind, Lee-kun," finally Eve said.

"You're too modest, Eve-chan," retorted Lee.

"I'm going to leave some of this ointment here with you," stated Eve in an attempt to change the subject, "Use it at least twice a day and you'll be able to move your fingers in again no time."

"Won't you stay and have breakfast?"

"I'm afraid not, I have to go pick some more herbs for the hospital. Believe it or not I actually have some demand for them so I run out quite quickly," explained Eve.

Lee wasn't about to give up without a fight, "Could I join you then?"

For some reason Eve looked a little sad, "Sure. You can probably still carry the baskets, and besides, the best herbs are right outside the village. In the current situation, it would be best if I had an escort."

Lee smiled and attempted to give a thumbs up – which was just as painful as it looked – as he trailed behind Eve out of his apartment.

The green clad ninja ended up needed Eve's help to lock his front door – not having any finger dexterity – and they walked in silence to the fields out of the village. It wasn't as awkward as before, it was more of a comfortable silence, and the two enjoyed it.

Despite the fact that Eve always tried to smile, Lee could see the sadness in her eyes, and it became all the more apparent after his dream. Whatever was driving her to keep moving, to be wary of people and to resist forming ties anywhere was wearing her thin. Lee assumed she was tired of running, at least he would be if he were Eve. Lee wondered if one day Eve would give up running, and if she did what would catch up with her.

Lee was going to find out one way or another.

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**UG! Holy god do I feel CRUMMY!!! I tell you, headaches and fevers over 100 are not fun AT ALL. I stayed home from school today and I was bored out of my tree so I started writing while the meds had some affect.**

**Starchip13**


	13. Beware the Sake!

1**Chapter #12**

**Beware the Sake!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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A couple weeks went by uneventfully. There were no murders, no strange dreams and no risk of Kira having a free for all in the village. Aside from warmer weather, not much changed in Konoha.

Eve would go out to the training grounds or to the fields outside the village to collect herbs, and very often Lee would join her. Eve wished he wasn't so incredibly nice, it made it hard not to grow attached to him, which she promised Kira she would not do. Eve kept telling herself it was for his own good, that being around her was a death threat all on it's own. Eve would try to make up any excuse to avoid him, but Lee was persistent and would not let her be. Lee especially would not let her go outside the village alone.

'_Why does Lee-kun have to be so kind hearted? I almost wish Lee-kun was like everyone else...'_

"The spring festival is coming up, can you believe it, Eve-chan! It's so youthful!" Lee chattered excitedly about the festival for over a week, like an overzealous child. With the festival beginning late that night with a grand display of fireworks, Lee was beside himself with joy.

Eve smiled kindly, "I imagine it will be grand indeed. Sakura-chan and I have been helping her friend Ino-chan at her flower shop to prepare all week. The decorations are sure to be splendid."

Others thought Lee was strange and too much to handle, but Eve thought otherwise. Despite her best efforts, her heart would beat faster every time he smiled and every time he was close. Eve worried once in a while that Lee might notice, but thankfully Lee was so clueless it didn't matter.

Lee walked Eve back to Sakura's house after she was finished picking the herbs she needed for the hospital.

"I will see you and Sakura-chan later tonight for the festival," Lee placed a healed hand on Eve's head, which made Eve flinch for fear of Lee feeling the horns hidden beneath her ribbon. "I will show you around and you will have a splendid time!"

"I don't know if I can," Eve pulled away from Lee's hand shyly. She still did not do well in big crowds of people because she was fully aware of the risk it would pose.

"Of course you can," Lee gave a smile and thumbs up, "I said I would accompany you. You trust me, do you not?"

Eve couldn't lie to Lee, "Of course I do."

"That is good to hear because I would never let you down, Eve-chan. We are the best of friends after all!"

Lee waved goodbye before he took off to help with the last minute festival preparations in the village and Eve stood in the doorway of Sakura's apartment with a solemn look on her face. Lee made it too easy to grow attached. She wanted nothing more than to go to the festival with him because – she had not wanted to admit – Eve had never gone to one before.

All of Lee's chattering got Eve almost jittery about going to the festival. By the time Sakura got home from work every inch of the apartment was spotless or reorganized.

Sakura sweat dropped, "Feeling a little restless, Eve-chan?"

Eve turned a little pink as she put down the books she was organizing on the shelf, "Hai, Sakura-chan..."

Unlike Lee, Sakura was not completely oblivious to how Eve acted. Anyone with eyes could see that she was growing close to Lee. Everyone but Lee could see it and Sakura wanted to deck Lee for being so dense.

The medic-nin sighed, "Well, the festival starts in a few hours, a friend of mine - Hinata - will be coming over to prepare with us, so let's pick you out something to wear. I might have an old kimono that will fit you. I'll even do your hair for you if you want."

Eve nodded and uttered several thank-you's to Sakura. Without Sakura's help, Eve would not have known where to start preparing.

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"A festival, how cute, the village is going to pretend I don't exist and go ahead with their little festivities regardless of the death toll." Ishida bit into a candy apple he stole from the one of the vendors, he watched the crowds weave through the different stands from a perch high up on a roof. "I'm almost insulted."

Ishida's gangly teen companion gazed down at the unsuspecting villagers below them solemnly, "They've tightened security substantially since we arrived. You can pick out where a lot of the jounin are relatively easily, so are you sure it would be wise to make another move tonight?"

Ishida cackled and tossed the core of his treat at the head of an unsuspecting passerby. The man the sticky apple hit yelled out and searched frantically for the offending person to struck him with the trash. He gave up before long and walked off with a huff of deep frustration.

"Everyone in this village is blinded by peace, so they won't even know what hit them. While they run around like the insects they are I can slip away into the trees and steal another wench from the crowded streets and no one would ever even see me." Ishida threw back his head and gave another bellowing laugh, "I plan on having my way with at least three more women tonight. That will teach them not to underestimate me! You just worry about finding that pink haired little bitch you said slaughtered your buddies. You've taken far too long already and it's starting to piss me off."

Yoichi's face twisted in a bout of frustration, "Do you have any idea how big this place is? I've been searching this place high and low for weeks and I've haven't found a trace of her! I only saw the girl once and even then I barely got a glimpse of her face!"

The thick aura of almost demonic chakra glowed around Ishida, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't even want to find the girl again."

"Why would I want to?!" hissed Yoichi through clenched teeth. "You weren't there to see it you bastard! The girl didn't even lift a finger and everyone close to her was torn apart! I didn't sense any chakra, hell, I don't even think she used any. Whatever she did was not any known type of jutsu!"

"Have you no pride? Are you just going to let her kill your little 'family' and go on her merry way? I'm not the only one that has a score to settle with her, you should be out for your share of blood too."

Yoichi didn't respond. Getting too much into Ishida's bad side was a death wish all on its own without having to look for a mysterious killer with horns on her head.

"There is no excuse for cowardice, brat," Ishida stated bitterly, "find that girl _tonight_ or your life is forfeit."

"H-Hai..."

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By dusk the village was already abuzz with vendors and spectators. Sasuke, Lee and Naruto wove through the thick crowds of people on their way to pick up the girls. Because of the slight delay they arrived later than would have liked, but of course there was no real hurry since the fireworks would not start for hours.

"They better be ready as soon as we get there," Naruto sniffed the air and drooled, "all this festival food is making me hungry!"

"Dobe," growled Sasuke.

"Teme," hissed Naruto.

"Now, now, let us not fight tonight my friends," Lee forcibly walked between the two men so a fight would be less likely to break out, "this is supposed to be a grand festival after all. There will be plenty of time to take in the sights after we pick up Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and Eve-chan."

Naruto and Sasuke refused to look at one another and Lee sighed. After all the years they knew each other the two would never stop bickering.

The three men arrived at Sakura's apartment and Sasuke knocked before letting himself in.

Hinata was waiting on Sakura's couch all ready to go in a light purple festive kimono and her long hair was pulled away from her shoulders with a flowery hair clip that flattered her milk white skin. She looked up at the boys and a shy smile graced her painted lips.

"You're here, Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke softly as a blush spread across her cheeks.

The blonde ninja grinned and pulled Hinata into a not so graceful hug, "You look gorgeous tonight, Hinata!"

The poor Hyuga girl nearly fainted.

"Where is Sakura and Eve?" asked Sasuke when he noticed the two pinkettes were nowhere in sight.

"T-The b-b-bedroom..." Hinata was so flustered she could barely keep balance, "... ano ... E-Eve-chan's h-hair is v-v-very long. It t-took longer t-than we t-thought it would. I w-would have h-helped but ... ano ... S-S-Sakura-c-chan insisted she do it a-alone."

Right on cue, Sakura thrust open the bedroom door and paraded out in a blue kimono with Sakura petals along the hems, "It's a good thing you boys decided to show up fashionably late because I had to figure out what kind of hairstyle would suit Eve-chan best. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. So, without further ado, I present to you Eve in her cute new evening kimono!"

The dramatic paused lasted a little longer than anticipated since Eve decided she would stay hiding in Sakura's bedroom. Sakura put her hands on her hips like an agitated parent before going in the room and dragging the shy girl out by her wrist.

Eve shuffled out of the bedroom, eyes glued to the floor, wearing a light green kimono with red and pink designs up the arms. Her hair was pulled out of her face by her hair ribbon, which was tied so the bow was at the side of her head instead of the back. The rest of it was in a messy bun held together by a dozen or so strategically placed hairpins. Like the others, Eve's face was also dolled up with makeup, but nothing more outstanding than light pink lip gloss.

"What do you think?" asked Sakura, mostly directing the question at Lee.

"How lovely! It is nice to be able to see your eyes, Eve-chan. You should wear your hair up more often," Lee smiled. "And look, we match as well!"

Eve's cheeks turned pink, "Thank you, Lee-kun."

"Let's get going!" whined Naruto obliviously. "I want to get to that festival food!"

The group made their way back to the bustling downtown area and proceeded to wonder from table to table to survey what the vendors had to offer. Naruto and Hinata were quickly separated from the group in Naruto's search for the best food stand – preferably one serving ramen. Sakura and Sasuke stuck around a little longer since Sakura wanted to make sure Eve was doing alright around so many people.

As expected, Eve was following closely behind Lee as though she was trying to hide and her eyes were cast down towards her feet. If anyone came to close to her she'd flinch, which made her appear to have some kind of disorder.

Lee put his hand on Eve's shoulder an guided her over to a large tank of koi fish, "Are they not beautiful, Eve-chan?"

Eve forced her eyes off the ground to look at the fish. Her eyes widened with wonder and she extended one slender hand to touch the glass. A white and orange koi swam up to the side of the tank and tapped its nose on the glass before flicking off into the crowd of other fish. Eve smiled at this.

"What kind of fish are these?" she asked. "I've never seen this type before."

"You've never seen koi before?"

Eve shook her head and continued to watch the fish. She was so distracted by the display of glittery colorful scales and elegant tails that she did not notice the arrival of Neji and his date, a brunette with her hair in two buns.

"Looks like I owe you five bucks, Sasuke-kun," the brunette laughed, "Lee has a hot date!"

The green clad ninja flushed, "Tenten-chan!"

Tenten chuckled, "Calm down, Lee, I'm only kidding. I was just tired of hearing about the mysterious Eve-chan and not meeting her. It seems you've stirred things up a little, now haven't you?"

Drawing her eyes away from the koi tank, Eve turned to meet the brunette. Not being the social type, she didn't say anything at first, but that didn't bother Tenten in the least.

"I'm Tenten," the brunette held out her hand in a friendly manner, "I'm Lee and Neji's teammate from back in the old days. I've heard a lot about you from Neji, Eve-chan."

Eve stared at the offending hand skeptically. She glanced at Lee who gave a slight nod to assure her that Tenten was indeed a good friend.

With a benign handshake, Eve smiled and murmured, "All good, I hope."

Lee was overjoyed that Eve and Tenten got along so well. Eve was still very stand-offish, but she would hopefully begin to grow out of it with a little bit of time. After all, she was very open with Lee, more than even Sakura, so there was hope for the enigmatic pinkette yet.

Tenten and Sakura showed Eve that if you stick your finger just on the surface of the water the fish would come up and suck on it. Eve was hesitant to try at first but the others coaxed her into it and eventually Eve was giggling softly due to the strange feeling of the koi attempting to eat her fingertips.

'_She would not want to abandon happy times like these ... would she?'_ Lee watched the girls play with the koi fish in the tank. His bad dream from before still worried him every so often, especially if Eve began acting fearful or nervous. He did not want to loose his newfound friend that he was so very attached to. _'Eve would never give up hope and leave this place... She would not leave me behind...'_

"Let's find a food vendor and have some dinner," suggested Neji. "If we don't drag them away from the tank we could be here all day."

"You're right," sighed Sasuke.

Nodding in agreement, Lee turned to the girls and said, "Come along girls, we wish to see some more of the festival before the fireworks start."

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Remarkably, the group was able to find a place too overcrowded. They ordered several plates of dango and green tea for all. They enjoyed their meal on the benches set out nearby the stand and talked together. Of course, most of the talking was done by Sakura, Tenten and Lee since the other half of the group members weren't the talkative type.

When the drinks started getting low Eve stood up with the used tray and offered to get some more, "I will go grab some more drinks."

"Would you like some help?" asked Lee.

"No, I can manage, it is alright," Eve smiled. She was confident that she could manage to grab a tray of drinks by herself.

The lineups were not_ that_ bad, considering the fact that the fact that Eve was in the middle of a bustling festival. Eve felt a lot better with Lee around. Even though Lee's feelings were a little different than Eve's, Lee was somewhat protective of her.

Eve managed to get the attention of the waitress, "Excuse me, could I have some more water, juice and tea?"

"Of course, just a moment–" the nice woman behind the counter was cut off by a small group of tipsy men that forced their way to the front of the line. Eve jumped out of the way to avoid being shoved.

"Another round!" a burly man bellowed at the waitress.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't give you anymore alcohol. You shouldn't be getting drunk in the streets," scolded the waitress.

"Don't be telling me what we can and can't do," spat the man.

The waitress scowled as she continued filling the orders of the people who were already waiting, "This is the last round, and I swear to god if I hear from you again I'll get security to remove you. There are plenty of ninja around that would have no problem turning you over to the police!"

"Are my drinks ready...?" Eve didn't want to be around the angry drunks any longer than was required.

Red faced from frustration, the waitress set a tray of drinks down on the counter a little harder than necessary, "Enjoy."

"H-Hai..." Eve took the tray of drinks and walked away as fast as she could without spilling.

Eve slipped back to the circle of friends, which grew since she went to grab the drinks. Gai and two other older men – one with a scar across his nose and another wearing a mask – were talking with the group, which meant Lee was too engrossed in the conversation to notice which cup he grabbed off the tray of drinks.

"Good evening, Eve-chan!" Gai gave a thumbs up and a dazzling smile, "I trust you are enjoying yourself here at our grand spring festival?"

Eve nodded politely, "I am. Everything here is wonderful, Gai-san."

"You haven't seen anything until you've seen the fireworks display. It should be starting in a few hours." The man with the scar across his nose held out his hand, "I'm Iruka, I'm one of the chunin teachers at the academy. I taught all your new friends way back in the day."

Gai gave the white haired masked man an unnecessarily hard pat on the back, "And this is my eternal rival, Hatake Kakashi! Which reminds me, is it not about time we had another little contest? Dongo eating or tea drinking perhaps? Or would you rather have a traditional race?"

Kakashi sighed, "Not now, Gai. I'm trying to enjoy the festival."

"Ah your right, eternal rival," sighed Gai with a hint of disappointment in his voice, "we will save our trials for another day so we can better enjoy this festival of youth!"

"Drink your tea, Gai-sensei," grumbled Neji.

Eve offered the tray of drinks to the flamboyant man politely, "Please, go ahead, Gai-san."

"Thank you very much, Eve-chan," Gai took one of the cups with a grin and took a large swig of the tea.

Meanwhile, Sakura was just beginning to notice Lee's rosy face, "Hey, Lee-kun, are you ok?"

Gai gagged on his drink and spat a good portion of it back into the cup, "Wait! Do not let Lee drink anymore! This is not tea!"

Blinking in confusion, Eve picked up one of the cups and looked at them. A couple of the cups should have been water, some should have been juice and the rest should have been green or white tea, but Eve failed to notice the colours of the drinks she picked up when she took the tray. They all looked like water. Eve swirled the mysterious liquid around in the cup for a moment before smelling it cautiously. It held a strong odor that burned her nose. She recognized the strange smell, her father had some similar smelling drinks on special occasions when he wanted to loosen up a little.

"I'm very sorry," Eve's face started turning red with embarrassment, "I must have mixed up the trays! I grabbed some sake by mistake!"

Lee tipped over and landed on his backside with a loud thud and an agitated groan.

Gai dropped his drink and rushed to Lee's aid. He attempted to put a hand on Lee's shoulder but it was promptly swatted away. That simple careless movement was hard enough to pop Gai's knuckles.

"I'm fiinee G-Gai-sssensei." Lee looked up at his peers with a glazed expression, "Wacha'll lookin' at, ehhh?"

"Take a step back," Neji ordered the group.

"But why–?" asked Eve before Neji cut her off.

"–Just do it!" the Hyuga man snapped sharply.

Eve obediently took one giant step backward without thinking and crashed into someone behind her. Before she could do anything all the cups on her drink tray rolled off and shattered on the ground one by one. The strong smelling sake that was in the cups soaked through her socks and made her toes feel sticky.

As Eve instinctively turned to apologies to the person she crashed into she was suddenly face to face with the drunkard from the stand. His high rosy cheeks nearly hid his narrow eyes from view, but it was clear his was looking at her.

"Watch where your going!" He blinked dumbly a couple times, "Hey, you're that brat that took our drinks! Thanks to you I got stuck with a bunch of stinking _tea_!"

"S-s-sorry! S-Sorry!"

The man reached out one burly arm toward Eve who closed her eyes in fear. Kira's rage and spite was bubbling just below the surface like an active volcano, ready to erupt furry on any merry makers in the street.

"Hey, what the–!"

"JJJJustt w-wattch Gai-senssei, I w-w-will make you proooooooouuuddd!!"

Eve peaked through her fingers that shielded her face. Lee placed himself between Eve and her attacker and grasped his arm to hard that her attackers face was contorted into an expression of agony.

'_When did he...?'_

Eve knew Lee was fast, but suddenly he was up off the ground in half the time he would normally take. It wasn't just that though, there was something wrong with Lee. It had something to do with the way he was talking and the way he stood. His words were drawn out and slurred so badly that they were practically inaudible, and his stance was so awkward he was hardly able to keep his balance.

With a movement so quick Eve almost didn't catch it, the drunkard was thrown across the street and into a nearby display of festival masks. The man crumpled to the ground in agony as the festive faces tumbled off the ruined display. He was a big man with a substantial beer belly, and Lee practically flicked him across the street.

"Lee-kun!" cried Eve.

Lee turned around and stared at Eve with half lidded eyes, "A ddddamselll i-in d-deestresss? Do not worrrry!! I-I-I wiiillllll saveee youuuh!"

"Grab him!" hollered Neji who lunged for Lee.

Lee sidestepped Neji with an annoyed groan and leapt clear over Tenten who made the second attempt. He wasn't as lucky with Gai though, the older man was just a little bit quicker and was able to catch Lee in mid-jump and tackle him to the ground. They skidded across the street, leaving deep drag marks in the dirt and startling a crowd of women who had to jump out of the way to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Despite having a more experience Jounin on his back trying to restrain him, Lee was still able to thrash around wildly.

Gai struggled to hold back Lee's arms, "Someone help me pin him! I cannot hold on much longer!"

Naruto and Kakashi jumped in to assist, each struggling to grab hold of Lee's flailing legs. Poor Naruto ended up getting booted in the chest and sent flying and Kakashi was kicked hard in the shoulder and staggered back.

Sakura was swatting Lee's flailing limbs away with her insane strength to try and get close, "I'll try to knock him out!"

"Whaaachaa'll dooing?!" hollered Lee. "No! No! No! I havvveee to s-sssave my p-p-princesssss!"

"Whoa!" Gai was flipped over Lee's shoulder and tossed like a rag doll.

Like a shot out of hell, Lee was right in front of Lee, and so close that he was impeding on the courtesy of personal space. In one smooth motion Eve's legs were knocked right out from under her and his strong arms caught her in a bridal style hold.

"_Lee_!" shrieked Eve. "What are you doing?!"

"Stop him!"

It was too late. Eve's stomach lurched with a sudden onset of motion sickness as Lee bounded onto the roof of the nearest building.

Instinctively she clung to Lee for fear that she would plummet to the ground. Heights normally didn't bother her, but soaring through the air as her green clad captor bounded from rooftop to rooftop was an entirely new sensation. Every time it looked as though they would fall to the ground her stomach fluttered up inside her rib cage and then drop back down like a rock when they took off again.

Eve's surroundings were zooming by to quickly to make any sense of, but it didn't take long for the outlines of buildings to disappear and be replaced by the green leaves of the tree canopy.

"Lee, what are you doing?!" Eve asked over the wind whipping by her ears.

When Lee didn't respond Eve looked up at his face. Lee's eyes were glazed over, his eyelids were slowly dropping down, and he was making soft snoring sounds.

On his next jump Lee didn't quite push up hard enough and the falling sensation in Eve's stomach didn't go away.

"LEEEEE!!"

"Wa?" Lee opened one eye lazily and reached out an arm to catch one of the nearby branches zooming past.

Stomach dropping from the abrupt stop, Eve clung even harder as they spun around the branch before landing perfecting on top. If the roller coaster ride didn't end soon then she would puke.

"Ha ha! I foooled yoooouuu d-didn't I...?" giggled Lee with a dopey grin followed by a couple hiccups.

"L-Lee..." Eve paused as the smell of sake on Lee's breath reached her nose, "...are you drunk?"

"Dooon be sssilly," Lee giggled, "I am undeerrage!"

Ya, he was completely wasted, no doubt about it.

"I-It iz gooing to b-be ok," Lee made his way back down to the ground much slower than before, "I-I-I willll proteccct yooouuuh with my liiife."

When they reached the ground, Lee did not set Eve down. Instead he found a spot underneath one of the trees and sat down with set gently in his lap. With another dopey, eyes glazed over, grin Lee ran his rough hands through Eve's long red-pink hair and pulled out what few hair pins were still there.

"I-I've got to go," Eve tried to pull away and let her hair fall in her face. Anything to hide her blush.

Lee's grip was as firm as iron and would not allow her to budge. Eve tugged helplessly, but only ended up with a sore shoulder for her efforts.

Out of nowhere, Lee rested his head sleepily on Eve's shoulder and mumbled, "Pppleaseee, do not leeaeaave ... I-I proomisee I wiilll protecct youuuh wiiith myyee liiiife..."

It took a moment for the situation to fully register in her mind. Lee – the man she potentially loved – just kidnaped her, they were alone in the woods, she was sitting in his lap, and his head was resting on her shoulder. She couldn't even tell if he was awake or not.

"Lee-kun..." Eve placed a hand on his cheek to see if he would respond, he did so by leaning in to the warmth of her frail little palm.

"_No! I won't allow this!"_

Recoiling in surprise, Eve stumbled away from Lee a few feet only to trip on absolutely nothing and fall on her butt.

When his warmth left him, Lee got to his feet – knees wobbling dangerously – and took a few unstable steps towards Eve. His knees eventually gave way and he fell forward, right on top of Eve. His glazed over eyes gazed at Eve's amber eyes, surrounded by a veil of pink hair, and traveled downward to her quivering rosy lips. Eve did not recognize Lee's intentions before it was too late...

Lee kissed her.

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**Sorry for not updating in so long, I've been pretty busy lately so I took a little break from writing. I actually wanted to get a lot of it out of the way on the weekend but due to my dad not being able to plan worth a crap I did not get the chance (and I was sooo stoked too!!). **

**Expect updates to be a little slow, at least until summer vacation! I promise you'll have more chapters than you'll know what to do with then!**

**Starchip13**


	14. The Real Monster

1**Chapter #12**

**The Real Monster**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"_**Why did you save me?"**_

"_**What do are you talking about, Eve?"**_

"_**Why did you take me away from that place?"**_

"_**Well, I guess it is because I couldn't watch the horror go on any longer. The things they did to you in there ... they are things a child should never have to go through."**_

"_**The others watched ... they watched and did nothing..."**_

"_**Sometimes it just takes one person to change things, Eve, remember that."**_

"_**..."**_

"_**Look, I am by no means perfect. I've done a lot of things that I regret in the past, and I didn't do right by a lot of people that I cared about. I thought maybe if I did one bloody thing right in my life I could make up for a life of mistakes."**_

"_**But why save me? I was so unwanted."**_

"_**The whole point of life is to find someone to live for. We're all empty until we find out purpose. I was empty for a long time until I saw the chance to save a poor little girl without anyone in the world. I have someone to protect now, and one day you will have someone important to you too."**_

"_**You are important to me, Otou-san." **_

0000

Eve was truly struck dumb. Lee had kissed her. Lee kissed her. Lee kissed her. Her mind was stuck in a little loop like a broken record.

Her mind was so fuzzy she couldn't even hear voices echoing in the woods calling her name.

Lee broke the kiss and stared at Eve with half lidded eyes until his head finally dropped out of exhaustion. Lee face was nestled comfortably in the curve of her neck as he breathed softly and snored from time to time. He was fast asleep. As fast, hyper and agile as Lee had been not a moment before, he was asleep and he was still lying on top of Eve.

Somewhere in the back of Eve's skull Kira was boiling with rage and clamoring against the walls of her consciousness, _"This MORON has the gall to get drunk in public and push himself on a helpless girl?! I'll castrate the bastard!"_

Eve made no response whatsoever.

"_Eve! Wake up already"_

Blood suddenly started rushing to Eve's face after a long delay, "L-Lee-kun..."

With shaking hands Eve rolled Lee off of her so she could sit up. He was heavier than he looked so it was quite the struggle for a scrawny little think like Eve to do. Lee just slumped into the grass and continued snoring, loudly, between incoherent mumbling.

Eve blushed again just watching him. Her fingers brushed over her warm lips that tasted vaguely like the sake Lee accidentally drank back at the festival.

"L-Lee-kun..." Eve gently shook the sleeping nin, "Wake up..."

Lee mumbled with a strong slur in his sleep, "Sakura-chan..."

Eve stopped and stared, eyes wide with shock. Did Lee think she was Sakura? For a drunk it wouldn't be a long stretch to mix up two pink haired women, even if Eve's hair was much longer, and Lee was completely smashed.

And Eve was the one that gave Lee the wrong drink. She was the reason he was completely drunk. That was why he went crazy and ran off into the woods with her, and why he mistook her for Sakura. Was Lee thinking Eve was Sakura the only reason why he kissed her?

'_Yes, it was ...'_ Despite her best efforts, tears stung Eve's eyes. _'...How stupid of me... He loves Sakura, not me ... I know that.'_

But that didn't stop it from hurting so much...

After that Eve's body moved on its own. She pulled herself to her feet, not caring how disheveled her appearance was, and starting walking into the woods. At first her walk was calm, but her pace soon picked up and she found herself running as fast as her weak little body could carry her. She had no idea which direction she was heading; she hardly had time to take note of which direction the village was in while she was being spirited away. Eve simply needed to be alone, which meant getting as far away from any search parties as possible. She didn't want her friends knowing how hurt she was feeling. She didn't want them to see the tears.

It was a while before Eve even realized she was crying at all. She wasn't even aware until her legs and lungs screamed from the strain of running and she was practically brought to her knees from exhaustion. Ashamed, she wiped them away with the sleeve of her kimono.

"_Sooner or later you will always get hurt. That is a sad fact that you are just going to have to live with, Eve."_

Eve bit her lip and mentally looked away from the bitter girl in her mind.

"_You are in love with the twit, aren't you?"_

"Stop it!" Eve snapped, surprised at her own boiling anger, "Just stop talking to me for ten minutes, please! I don't need to hear this!"

Even Kira was taken back by the force of Eve's emotions.

Everything from that moment on moved almost too quickly for Eve to even comprehend. She paid absolutely no attention to which way she was going or exactly how loudly she was stumbling through the forest. She was covered in bruises and cuts from all the brush but that was hardly the worst of her problems.

An upturned root caught Eve's foot and she was sent sprawling into the worst place she could be.

Eve's face wasn't two inches from another face, a pale face of a young woman. Her lips were blue and her skin was pale as a sheet. Her mouth hung open loosely a little and what was visible of her eyes was glazed over and cloudy.

It was very apparent she was dead.

A large hand was holding a mass of the dead girl's long ebony hair. Eve's eyes hesitated from fright before slowly looking up the arm and at the man to whom it belonged.

A pair of dark brown eyes peered out from the dark shadows around the man's eye sockets, they almost seemed to glow. The fact that his brown hair was combed back so his face was clearly visible made the sharp angles of his thin face more apparent and it also made his face look more like a skull. A skull with glowing demon eyes.

"Well, well, who would have thought the pink haired one I've been searching for would stumble upon my little hiding place," the man's thin lips pulled back in a devilish sneer.

Lungs finally remembering how to breathe, Eve let out a long overdue scream that shook through the trees.

0000

Everyone split up into groups to find Lee and Eve. Of course, Rock Lee had always been the known as the fastest shinobi of his age group, even when they were young, and his ability only increased over time. Being drunk amplified his abilities, which left the search parties completely in the dust.

Sakura somehow ended up with Neji.

Well, if anyone could track down a drunken Rock Lee, it would be Hyuga Neji. Since they decided going one on one with Lee in his state was a _very_ bad idea, Neji needed someone who had the endurance and strength to keep up. There was also the hope that – even in his state – Lee would not last out at Sakura.

"I see Lee," Neji announced after what seemed like an eternity of fruitless searching.

"Is Eve with him?" asked Sakura hopefully.

Neji frowned, "No, I don't see her at all. Lee is lying alone in a little clearing."

Sakura looked troubled, but Neji insisted that someone like Eve couldn't have gotten very far. Chances were, when Neji caught up to Lee that Eve would be well within the range of his bayakugan. Besides, Eve is not the type of person that would leave lying asleep on the forest floor. Even if the alcohol he drank did turn him into a raving lunatic.

Lee was easy enough to spot despite being dressed in green and mostly blending into the foliage. It was because of his impossibly loud snoring.

"Lee-kun," Sakura shook Lee's shoulders roughly, knowing nothing less than an earthquake would wake him. "Wake up!"

"...Sakura-chan..." Lee mumbled in his sleep, "...Gomenasai ... I'm in love with someone else..."

Sakura sighed, "Is he even awake yet?"

"Not in the least, he's just sleep talking again," Neji knelt down next to his teammate and tapped the muscle of Lee's lower leg.

"Ow!" Lee yelped, his pain stricken leg bent and unable to move back to its original position. "Oh, ow! My leg is cramped up! Neji-kun, what did you do that for?!"

Neji stood up calmly, "That's how you wake him up after a drunken rampage, Sakura."

Lee looked at his teammate sourly.

"Relax, it's only temporary, your muscle will relax on its own in a few seconds and then you won't even know the difference," responded Neji.

"What am I doing out here anyway? Were we not just back at the festival?" asked Lee. "Where is Eve-chan? I had such a weird dream..."

Sakura restrained herself from shrieking full volume, "You don't remember where Eve is?!"

Lee blinked, "Has she gone missing?"

"Missing?" Sakura growled in frustration, "You took some sake by mistake and – more or less – kidnaped her from the festival! Now you can't even remember where she is? You do remember that there is a psychotic killer after women wondering around here, right?!"

The Hyuga brunette stepped in front of Sakura, "Calm down, we both know she couldn't have gone far. Finding her won't take long."

Struck dumb, Lee racked his brain for any recollection of what Sakura was telling him, but found nothing. The last thing he remembered was talking with Gai and Kakashi and then nothing. No running off into the woods, no Eve, nothing, and somehow during that time he managed to lose the very person he was trying to keep safe. It was all at the worst time too.

The three could have sworn that the entire forest went quiet just before a scream ripped through the air. It echoed through the trees, distorting it and making it impossible to tell which direction it was coming from.

Lee's stomach dropped down to his feet.

Veins pulsed out of Neji's temples, straining to see even farther than usual. He was only still for a moment before leading his companions deeper into the woods in the direction of the scream.

'_Please, please, let her be ok...'_ Lee begged any god that would listen. _'Let me get there in time...'_

Neji pointed ahead, "I detect movement up ahead. We need to get closer to get a clear view."

Lee bounded ahead of his companions with a burst of speed. After years of hard training, Lee could beat any other jounin in a race, even with his leg weights on.

"Lee, don't leave us behind," Neji cautioned, "I can't even determine how many people there are from this distance."

"Then you and Sakura-chan are going to have to keep up," Lee responded.

It certainly was not like Lee to speak to his friends in such a way, but then again Lee was also not the type to let something happen to his friends. As far as Neji and Sakura could tell, Lee cared about Eve more than he was even aware of. He wasn't going to stop until he got her back.

Neji sighed, "I can see them now. There are two of them, one older man and a younger one who is carrying Eve. The older one has significantly high chakra levels, so the second may just be a goon of some kind. Whatever the case may be, we better be careful. They are fast in the very least if it is taking this long to catch up with them."

"Then we best pick up the pace," Lee's speed picked up once again and Neji and Sakura struggled to keep up.

As the distance between them closed, Neji noted a decrease in the speed of their target. Whoever they were, they were aware that they were being followed, and likely counting on the fact that the jounin would catch up. Someone who has been avoiding ANBU for weeks has some kind of trick up their sleeve.

They caught up to their target quite a ways away from the village, which was probably the idea the criminal had in mind. If anyone from the village heard a fight then ANBU would surely swarm the place. He wanted a place where he was sure no backup would come until the match was settled.

A tall, thin man with black eyes stood relaxed against a tree while his companion – a dark haired teen – restrained Eve. The man smirked, a kunai held loosely between each of his fingers.

"So this is why we had such a difficult finding the horned freak," the man looked his three opponents up and down, "the village had jounin protecting her. Funny, I wouldn't guess Konoha the type to side with a freak like her."

Eve was holding her head, whimpering, "P-Please, p-p-please stop..."

"Release the girl, she has done nothing to you!" hollered Lee. "Can you not see how scared she is?!"

The dark eyed man's hand snatched the end of the ribbon in Eve's hair, yanking it free. Eve squeaked as it came loose, and moved to cover the sides of her head with her hands but the teen – who was hesitant at first – stepped forward and held her arms after receiving a look from his companion. Without the ribbon, a pair of horns were visible through the tendrils of pink hair.

"Quite the little actress isn't she?" the man asked. "It's hard to believe that someone like her slaughtered an entire group of bandits, but of course, with jutsu looks aren't everything. Still, I was very curious to see how she did it, but for some reason she refuses to tell me how. You see, she doesn't seem to get the point that her confession will make the difference between a slow death or a quick one. She killed the men who owed me a lot of money, so I have a score to settle with her."

Lee scowled, shoving aside the surprise of the horns on Eve's head, "You are wrong. Eve is a gentle person! You have the wrong girl!"

"Do you think it is a coincidence that your village discovered the mutilated bodies of nearly twenty men?" the dark haired man raised an eyebrow. "That type of killing just isn't my style, you see, making a huge mess like that is just plain unprofessional. I didn't get in the bingo book by slicing my victims to pieces."

"Ishida," Neji muttered, "I've seen your profile. We would never have guessed it was you killing all of those women..."

Ishida grinned, "It's nice to have my work appreciated."

Lee took a step forward, but Ishida simply held his fist fill of kunai up to Eve's throat to stop him, "Now, now, no need to be hasty. To be honest with the three of you, fighting three jounin at once doesn't sound appealing to me, so if you just let me take the freak then I'll leave your little village alone."

"Never, I will not leave without Eve!" fumed Lee.

"Lee-kun, please don't..." Eve whimpered.

Ishida laughed, "See, even the little freak agrees. Why not just do as she says."

"No," stated Lee firmly, "I made a promise I would protect her. I am not leaving her."

No one even saw the two move, Neji barely even registered it with his bayakugan. One minute the two were yards apart and the next they were in a deadlock, kunai drawn, neither moving at all, though it was obvious that they were trying to push the other off.

"Even I have to admit that your speed is impressive," Ishida stated in a bored tone, "but speed isn't going to help you when fighting me. You have the great misfortune of fighting me."

The two sped off again, only becoming visible to the unaided eye when their kunai glanced off one another.

"What kind of technique is that man using?" wondered Sakura. "It makes the air feel very heavy..."

"It isn't taijutsu like Lee, that is for sure," Neji mumbled, "There is something around his neck that is creating a barrier of chakra. Everything within it moves with his will, which means that he can speed up time around himself or slow it down around us. It gives him the illusion of speed."

Sakura pulled on her gloves with a smirk, "Time control or not, one good shot and he is going down. His technique is unusual, but he even admitted he did not like the prospect of fighting three jounin at once."

"So long as you can keep up."

"I don't think I'll be having any problems with that."

The opportunities for the other two jounin were short ones. Neji could keep up visually, but physically was another matter, and Sakura could only see the clashes. Out of impatience Sakura turned the ground around the clearing into rubble with one blow, which helped out a great deal. Ishida had a much harder time moving around that way.

Ishida scowled, taking on three jounin at once definitely wasn't going to be easy. So why not even the playing field a little bit? With a few rapid hand signs that the unaided eye would have missed he produced six clones, two for each of his opponents, and each clone was moving under the same time manipulation jutsu.

Sakura suffered a blow to the back and went flying into a pile of rubble.

"Sakura-chan!" shrieked Eve. She struggled against the teenager's grip, but she was too weak to get loose.

"Just hold still," the teen hissed, "that is one fight you don't want to get caught up in. Master Ishida is a very cruel person, especially to young women like yourself."

Eve was trembling from her head was throbbing from Kira bashing against the barrier that kept her in check. The sight of blood and fighting was getting her worked up, and Eve wasn't sure how long she could hold her malice back.

"This has to stop..." Eve whimpered, "...she is getting angry ... I won't be able to make her stop ... she is much stronger than I am..."

The teenager shuttered, "W-Who are you talking about...?"

Neji managed to hit a shadow clone that dared get too close and made it disappear in a puff of smoke, but another quickly took it's place. Ishida seemed to have a large reserve of chakra at his disposal.

A couple new clones also popped up around Lee, giving him four clones and the original to worry about. One grabbed one of Lee's legs and two others held back his arms so he was almost pinned. Lee spun his free leg around and kicked the clone that was holding his other leg.

"I am tired of this," Ishida hissed, "Yoichi, step away from the girl. If she isn't going to show her true colours even with her friends in danger then I might as well dispose of her."

The teenager did not hesitate for a moment to obey his master's orders. If he had not obeyed then he would have been in a way of a kunai that sped toward them.

"Eve-chan, NO!" Lee tossed another clone aside, but one of them was still persistent enough to hang onto his left arm and twist it almost to the point of dislocating it.

The kunai grazed Eve's forehead and bounced off her horn before falling to the ground. The pink haired girl fell to the ground, clutching the wound, but blood still seeped through the gaps in her fingers.

"Damn," Ishida looked completely taken back, "how did I miss her?! Ah, for the love of god, just finish her Yoichi!"

For the first time, Yoichi hesitated, a kunai poised in his hand. For some reason he was terrified of the pink haired girl who was sitting on the ground cradling her head.

"Do it or I'll kill you next, brat!"

"Eve-chan, run for it! Just get out of here!" Lee's shouts fell on deaf ears. Eve did not move a muscle. "Listen, Eve-chan, do not give in! You are strong! Fight back, please! I do not care what you look like – whether you have horns or not – I _care_ for you!"

Yoichi stepped forward and positioned his kunai to cut Eve's throat.

_Crack. _

...

...

...

"AAAARRRRGGGG!! MY HAND!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAND??"

Yoichi reeled back – kunai lying on the ground – and stared at horror at his right hand.

All five fingers were missing. They were lying in a bloody pile by the kunai.

Eve rose to her feet, hair in front of her eyes so her face was not visible at first.

Everyone in the clearing had stopped fighting. Even Ishida was staring at what was happening to his young follower.

Eve stepped forward and knelt beside the trembling teen, "Do you fear me?"

Yoichi could not even bring himself to speak. He just whimpered as he tried to slow the bleeding coming from his dismembered hand.

A smile formed on Eve's lips and her eyes flashed crimson, "Humans are really pathetic."

With a sickening snap Yoichi's head twisted off like a top and was sent flying to it landed at Ishida's feet. The head vacant eyes rolled back and blood poured from it's blue hued lips.

Eve stood up and stared at Ishida with narrow eyes, "You enjoy this don't you? The blood and pain?"

Ishida smirked, "So the monster emerges. I guess the kid was right, you do have an awesome technique at your disposal. It's a shame it won't help you much, little bitch."

"E-Eve-chan..." Lee muttered in confusion. He wasn't sure of exactly what he just saw. Did Yoichi's head just fall off by itself or was it some kind of illusion? Either way, it made his stomach churn sickeningly.

Ishida pulled a fist full of shuriken from his pouch and tossed them with as much force as he could muster. His time manipulation sped up the shuriken to unbelievable speeds that even Lee or Neji would have trouble dodging. It looked like a bull's eye hit, but Eve did not look the least bit bothered.

The shuriken stopped in mid air, inches from Eve's face. They levitated in the air around Eve's body, not doing a thing.

"Is that really all you've got?" asked Eve. "Because you're just pissing me off even more."

"Why you little witch..." Ishida hissed.

The shuriken sprung to life again, spinning, and flying back at Ishida will force without Eve moving a muscle. There were no visible hand signs so one could come to the conclusion that it wasn't any normal technique, if it was a jutsu at all.

'_But Eve-chan can't use chakra...'_ Lee remembered their conversation during training. _'How is she ... it doesn't even seem like Eve-chan. Those eyes of hers seem so hateful ... Eve-chan is gentle ... but if it isn't Eve-chan then who on earth is it...?'_

In a blur, Ishida dodged the shuriken and pulled a short sword from it's sheath, "No more fooling around! I'll have your head, monster!"

"_**Monster!"**_

"Monster..." Eve whispered in disbelief. Her lips drew to a thin line as the discarded kunai and sharp pieces of rubble levitated off the ground and formed a tight protective circle around her. "Monster ... monster..."

Ishida's sword was cut in half when he got close enough, and then his arm. Right above his elbow a clean cut strait through flesh and bone appeared and blood spurted forth. The useless limb fell to the ground next to the mangled weapon.

"Neji," Sakura was nearly trembling, "What is going on?"

"It's strange, she isn't using any chakra at all," Neji brow furrowed, "I can't see what she is using, but whenever something moves I see a ... ripple."

"A ripple?"

Neji nodded, "Ya, to me it looks like something is bending the light. Whatever it is, it isn't being affected by Ishida's jutsu."

Ishida jumped back, cursing, "Damn it, you're not even human, you bitch!"

"_I_ am not human? _I _am the monster?" Eve's voice was strained through clenched teeth. "Do you want to know who is really the monster? Do you want to know who isn't human?!"

Something invisible hit the ground, sending Eve soaring at incredible speeds towards her target. Even Ishida could not dodge in time because he did not even predict the unnatural movement. Somehow without the use of any muscle movement, she was able to increase her own speed exponentially.

Eve did not strike him directly. The pink haired girl just needed to get within range.

"The ones who aren't human..." Eve hissed, "...are people like _you_."

Sakura screamed as a fresh human heart landed at her feet after bursting from the hole strait through Ishida's chest. The dead man's mouth hung agape in the few seconds of consciousness before darkness took him and his body fell to the ground.

"Eve-chan..." mumbled Lee.

"Stop calling me that!" shouted Eve. "My name is Kira."


End file.
